This column has nothing to do with the defection of Tizway from next Saturday's Jockey Club Gold Cup, as disappointing as it was, or the horses that will be competing in the mile and a quarter event, even though at this point a good portion of the field appears as if it will be made of horses more likely to point for the BC Marathon. The column is about the Gold Cup’s influence on the Breeders’ Cup Classic and how to approach the race, as prestigious as it is, with the Classic in mind....

First it was Holy Bull's rampage in 1994 and then the reign of Cigar. No chronicle of the mid-to-late '90s would be complete without recognizing Skip Away's career, which football pundits would call smash-mouth racing....