Where Are the 2020 Breeders' Cup Classic Horses Now?

A Look Back at the 2020 Breeders’ Cup Classic Field

We're rapidly approaching the five-year anniversary of the 2020 Breeders' Cup Classic, and the 10 equine participants in that race have each taken their own paths since leaving the starting gate at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Ky. The Classic was the punctuation at the end of a historic horse racing season, thrown askew by the COVID-19 pandemic, which dramatically altered the racing calendar around the country, and extended the Triple Crown season into early October when it would normally be finished in early June.

All 10 horses in the Classic field went on to begin their stud careers in Kentucky, and though their resumes are still in their early stages, some clear winners have already emerged from the group, while others are already seeking respite in regional markets.

Let's take a horse-by-horse look at the field of the 2020 Classic, and where their lives took them after their meeting on the global stage.

10 – Higher Power

The Breeders’ Cup Classic would end up being the final start for Higher Power, and it was his second try in the race after finishing third in 2019. He retired with five career wins and earnings over $1.5 million, highlighted by a victory in the Grade 1 Pacific Classic.

Higher Power retired to Darby Dan Farm in Kentucky for the 2021 breeding season, and his first foals are 3-year-olds of 2025, and he’s still looking for his first stakes winner at stud. He’s moving to Ohio for the 2026 breeding season to stand at R.C. Cline Thoroughbreds.

9 – Tom’s d’Etat

The Classic was also the career finale for Tom’s d’Etat, who ended up with 11 wins in 20 starts and earnings over $1.7 million. The centerpiece of his on-track resume was a win in the G1 Clark Stakes in 2019.

Tom’s d’Etat retired to WinStar Farm in Kentucky for the 2021 breeding season and his oldest runners are 3-year-olds of 2025. It’s taken some time, but his stud career is gradually picking up steam this year, headed up by Grade 3 winner Take Charge Tom and Grade 3-placed Strong State. Still, he’s struggled to gain traction with breeders, and he bred just 10 mares in 2025.

8 – By My Standards

By My Standards raced for one more year after the 2020 Classic, testing his mettle against the best older males in the country. That earned him a win in the listed Oaklawn Mile Stakes, followed by a runner-up finish in the G1 Met Mile.

He retired in 2021 seven wins and earnings of more than $2.2 million. By My Standards retired to Spendthrift Farm in Kentucky for the 2022 breeding season, and his first 2-year-olds are on the track in 2025. He’s still looking for his first stakes winner from his freshman class, but he’s gotten close with a couple stakes-placed runners in A Million Dreams and Kid Charlemagne.

7 – Title Ready

The Classic was just the middle point of Title Ready’s career, with two more seasons still ahead of him. He kicked off his 2021 campaign with a win in the G3 Louisiana Stakes, but that would be the last victory of his career. He went overseas to run in the Dubai World Cup after that win, and he was never quite the same after he came back.

Still, he frequently tested the best in the older male division, and his best effort in that final run was a third in the G2 Alysheba Stakes. He retired at the end of his 2022 campaign at age seven with five wins and earnings over three-quarters of a million dollars.

Title Ready retired to Darby Dan Farm in Kentucky for the 2023 breeding season, and his first foals are yearlings of 2025.

6 – Tiz the Law

The Classic was the final start for Tiz the Law, who ended his career with six wins in nine starts and earnings of more than $2.7 million. Among those victories were Grade 1 scores in the Belmont Stakes, Travers Stakes, Florida Derby, and Champagne Stakes.

He retired to Ashford Stud in Kentucky for the 2021 breeding season, and he’s gotten off to a hot start at stud. He sent Tiztastic to this year’s Kentucky Derby from his first crop after that horse won the Louisiana Derby.

Tiz the Law was North America’s most active stallion during the 2025 breeding season, covering 274 mares.

5 – Maximum Security

The Classic brought an end to a controversial career on and off the racetrack for Maximum Security, that saw him be disqualified for interference in the 2019 Kentucky Derby, and saw his original trainer Jason Servis face a federal indictment in 2020 for his role in distribution of adulterated and misbranded drugs for racehorses.

Servis was jailed after pleading guilty to those charges in 2022, and Maximum Security was disqualified from first in the 2020 Saudi Cup as a result, which cost him $10 million in purse earnings.

When the dust settled, Maximum Security’s record finished at nine wins and earnings of $2.4 million.

He retired to Ashford Stud in Kentucky for the 2021 breeding season, and his oldest runners are 3-year-olds of 2025, led by French Group 3 winner Rosa Salvaje and multiple stakes winner Instant Replay. He’ll be moving to Indiana for the 2026 breeding season to stand at Breakway Farm.

4 – Tacitus

Tacitus stuck around for one more season after his try in the Breeders’ Cup, but he went unplaced in two starts, finishing up with four wins and earnings of more than $4.2 million. In that time, he earned wins in the G2 Tampa Bay Derby, Wood Memorial, and Suburban Stakes, and he finished in the money in both the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes.

Tacitus retired to Taylor Made Stallions for the 2022 breeding season, and his first 2-year-olds hit the track in 2025. He’s still looking for his first stakes winner from his freshman class.

3 – Global Campaign

Like a lot of horses in the field, the Classic was the final start for Global Campaign, ending a career where he won six of 10 starts and made more than $1.3 million, highlighted by a win in the G1 Woodward Handicap.

He retired to WinStar Farm for the 2021 breeding season, and his oldest runners are 3-year-olds of 2025. He’s sired Grade 3 winner Warming and a trio of stakes winners, and he’s even gotten a Grade 1-placed runner in Champagne Stakes third-place finisher Universe, but demand has been slow for Global Campaign, who bred just four mares in 2025.

2 – Improbable

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before, but Improbable retired after the Breeders’ Cup with seven wins and earnings of $2.7 million.

He earned the Eclipse Award as champion older male of 2020 on the strength of a resume that also featured Grade 1 wins in the Hollywood Gold Cup, Whitney Stakes, and Awesome Again Stakes.

Improbable retired to WinStar Farm in Kentucky for the 2021 breeding season, but he died in 2024 after suffering a broken right tibia after falling awkwardly due to ataxia. He sired four crops, and his oldest are 3-year-olds of 2025.

Leading the way among them are Grade 3 winner Governor Sam, and multiple stakes winner Pay Billy, who ran in this year’s Preakness Stakes.

1 – Authentic

The winner of the 2020 Breeders’ Cup Classic was Authentic, who secured the Eclipse Award as Horse of the Year with his win at Keeneland. The Classic was the bow on top of a year that also included Grade 1 wins in the Kentucky Derby, Haskell, and Santa Anita Derby, as well as a runner-up finish in the Preakness Stakes.

The Classic was the final start for Authentic, who retired with six wins in eight starts for earnings of $7.2 million.

He entered stud at Spendthrift Farm in Kentucky for the 2021 breeding season, making his oldest runners 3-year-olds of 2025. His debut crop has been led by Rodriguez, who won the G2 Wood Memorial earlier this year, and his second crop features Grade 1 winner Iron Orchard, who will compete in this year’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies.