Day kept an eye on Concerto, the second betting choice carrying just 114 pounds. Concerto made his move first, taking the lead on the final turn. Day swung Awesome Again wide and they started to close rapidly in the stretch, pulling clear late to win by three lengths. Awesome Again made his next start in the Hawthorne Gold Cup Handicap as the 1–10 favorite while carrying top weight of 123 pounds. He pressed the early pace set by Muchacho Fino, then moved to the lead around the final turn. The two raced heads apart until mid-stretch, when Muchacho Fino started to drop back. Unruled moved into second but was no match for Awesome Again, who won by lengths. "He ran the way a 1–10 shot should," said Byrne. "We won easily, and he carried the weight. He even had a little left in his tank." Breeders' Cup Classic The field for the 1998 Breeders' Cup Classic, held on November 7 at Churchill Downs, is considered perhaps the deepest in the race's history. The favorite was Skip Away, who had already won seven races that year, five of them Grade I (the Donn Handicap, Gulfstream Park Handicap, Pimlico Special, Hollywood Gold Cup and Woodward Stakes). Despite having been beaten by Awesome Again in the Stephen Foster, Silver Charm was the second choice – a major factor being that the two horses would carry equal weights in the Classic compared to the 14 pound difference in the earlier race. The field also included Grade/Group One winners Swain (King George, Irish Champion), Victory Gallop (Belmont Stakes), Coronado's Quest (Haskell Invitational, Travers Stakes), Touch Gold (1997 Belmont Stakes, Haskell Invitational), Gentlemen (1997 Hollywood Gold Cup, Pacific Classic) and Arch (Super Derby). Between them, the horses had won 69 stakes races, including 31 at the Grade/Group One level. The quality of the field was matched in recent history by only the 1973 Marlboro Cup, where Secretariat defeated stablemate Riva Ridge. Awesome Again broke slowly and settled into eighth place behind a moderate early pace set by Coronado's Quest. He swung wide on the final turn and started to make up ground but was still in seventh place with a quarter-mile remaining, caught up in traffic. Swain moved to the lead at the top of the stretch, but then lost ground when he swerved to the outside and ultimately finished third. Silver Charm took the lead