ARCADIA, Calif.—The favorites, especially Horse of the Year Curlin, didn’t have a shot at the Breeders’ Cup on Saturday.

Raven’s Pass spoiled Curlin’s bid for a second consecutive Breeders’ Cup Classic, winning the $5 million race by 1 3/4 lengths on Santa Anita’s new synthetic surface.

The defending champion, who had never raced on such a surface, wound up fourth.

Britain-based Raven’s Pass capped a day of long-shot upsets at the season-ending championships, with European-based horses winning five of nine races. Seven of the winners were long shots.
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