California Chrome retained a tenuous hold on his spot at the top of the weekly NTRA Top 10 Thoroughbred poll two days after suffering his first defeat of the year to Arrogate in Saturday’s Breeders’ Cup Classic at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif.

California Chrome, who has led the voting every week so far this year, topped the pool with 442 total points while receiving 30 first-place votes.

Arrogate, who was fifth in the polling prior to the Breeders’ Cup, received 16 first-place votes and trails California Chrome by 24 points in the poll, with 418.

ARCADIA, Calif. – A year ago, jockey Victor Espinoza basked in the glow of an adoring Keeneland crowd after guiding American Pharoah to victory in the Breeders’ Cup Classic, capping an unforgettable season that included the Triple Crown.

On Saturday, Espinoza’s emotions were on the opposite end of the spectrum after Arrogate, under Mike Smith, went past California Chrome in the final 20 yards to win the $6 million Breeders’ Cup Classic by half a length, ending California Chrome’s bid for a perfect season.

ARCADIA, Calif. – Mike Smith has been here before.

While Smith is the all-time leader in wins in Breeders’ Cup history, he may also be the leader in heartbreaking defeats. Six years after Smith lost a heartbreaker in the Breeders’ Cup Classic when the previously undefeated Zenyatta fell a head short to Blame, Smith was on the short end of another photo finish in Friday’s $2 million Distaff at Santa Anita, where the previously undefeated Songbird lost by a nose to Beholder.

ARCADIA, Calif. - Victory to Victory was scratched from Friday’s $1 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf at Santa Anita because of a splint bone injury, trainer Mark Casse said.

“She popped a splint the other day,” Casse said Friday. “It’s been biting her the last few days. It’s nothing serious. She’ll miss a few weeks of training.”

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Santa Anita
Main track: Fast
Turf: Firm
Weather: Clear
Temp. 66

ARCADIA, Calif. – The first local appearance of trainer Aidan O’Brien’s large and imposing Breeders’ Cup contingent, led by Turf favorites Found and Highland Reel, highlighted Thursday morning’s training session at Santa Anita, which was tempered some after Suedois sustained a stress fracture in his foot. The injury occurred during a routine gallop over the turf course and will keep him out of the Turf Sprint.

ARCADIA, Calif. - Lord Nelson, the 5-2 morning-line second choice, had to be scratched from Saturday’s $1.5 million Breeders’ Cup Sprint after having to be treated for an infection in his right foreleg, his connections announced Thursday.

Trainer Bob Baffert said Lord Nelson nicked himself in either a recent workout or in his stall. Baffert said a little irritation developed into an infection.

ARCADIA, Calif. – It has already been a memorable year for trainer Chad Brown, who recorded his 1,000th career victory and captured his first Saratoga training title, which had eluded him for several years.

Now, Brown could be in line for his first Eclipse Award as he enters Breeders’ Cup weekend as the North American leader in purse money won ($19.4 million), stakes races won (56), and graded stakes won (38).

ARCADIA, Calif. – Rene Douglas, who competed frequently on the Southern California circuit during an outstanding 26-year riding career, was honored with the second annual Bill Mooney Award during the National Turf Writers and Broadcasters awards dinner Wednesday night in nearby Altadena.

Douglas, 49, was paralyzed from the waist down in a 2009 spill at Arlington Park, where he was the perennial leading rider in his later career. The Mooney Award goes to a person in racing who displays courage “in the face of tremendous adversity.”

ARCADIA, Calif. – Laura Hillenbrand first found fame as the author of a book on horse racing, but that doesn’t mean you’ve seen her kicking around the racetrack lately.

“I haven’t been to the races since 1990,” said Hillenbrand, whose “Seabiscuit: An American Legend” has sold millions of copies since its publication in 2001. “And the last big racing event I attended was the Preakness won by Deputed Testamony in 1983.”

ARCADIA, Calif. – When California Chrome was sent by van from his home at Los Alamitos to Santa Anita last Sunday in advance of Saturday’s Breeders’ Cup Classic, it was Alan Sherman who rode with him and got him settled into his temporary quarters. When California Chrome spent two months in Dubai earlier this year, it was Alan Sherman who was there the entire time, overseeing the day-to-day care.