The three, together, had prepared for, ridden, and won one of horse racing's most coveted prizes. Gary Stevens, still sitting on Mucho Macho Man, and owner Kathy Ritvo had taken their place in a made-for-Hollywood movie scenario that seemed impossible.

The day had begun with a tragedy when Secret Compass, a horse competing in the $2 million Juvenile Fillies race and running at the head of the pack went down with a fractured leg and had to be euthanized. The jockey, thrown head-long from the horse, was injured and taken away in an ambulance.

Against that backdrop, the winner's circle at the end of the Breeders' Cup race was in chaos. as the jockey, Gary Stevens, sat on the Mucho Macho Man, and the owner, who had a heart transplant 5 years ago and continues to take 30  pills a day and has been advised to stay away from places of dirt and bacteria such as race tracks, was hugged by track owner, Frank Stronach.

Five years ago, Mucho Macho Man was foaled in Florida. The foal didn't move. Handlers poked and prodded and tried everything. The foal lay inert for minutes that seemed like hours. Then suddenly, the foal stood and galloped away.

The handlers quickly assigned the name "Lazarus," and now with this $3 million purse, the horse has risen to career winnings of more than $5.5 million, and many horse enthusiasts are seeing that as a classic "resurrection."