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wto dirty their hands withtrue sendeavour, not speculation. comradeship, essential. courageous men and women to uphold over 160 years of tradition. to celebrate the most awarded blended scotch in history. this is true scotch. join us. back at santa anita as the sun sets and the classic is in the books now, official, and bayern is the winner, paying $14.20. toast of new york was second.

and california chrome was third. the bayern, toast of new york exacta paid $249.80. you see the tri feck ta and superfecta payouts as well. so there's the breeders' cup classic champion, and this is how close it was. actually, is that toast of new york? there's bayern winning it by just that much over toast of new york between horses and california chrome on the outside finishing in third. that's how close it was for million. let's go to josh elliott for the presentation. >> all right. thank you, john. i'm joined in the winner's circle by some of today's performers, members of the breeders' cup board, elizabeth banks with the trophy and juan carlos copelli for the presentation of the $5 million breeders' cup classic. >> you, right? >> yeah. hand that over. >> a great day today and proud

to be for the first time winner of the breeders' cup. incredible race and a great winner. >> an incredible race with a very close finish and a questionable beginning. owner kaleem shah, those were perhaps some anxious final moments there before your horse was officially named the winner. what were they like? >> i mean, i could not believe, i guess, the objection because it just a the start a little rubbing. i was talking to bob and what does that mean. he confirmed that it would be nothing. but i'm so glad bayern won the race. >> congratulations, kaleem. laffit standing by. >> trying to convince me he was never concerned for an instant he was going to be disqualified. there was contact leaving the starting gate. how were you so sure they wouldn't take your number down? >> nobody can do anything out of the first jump and my horse break so fast that the first

jump come in a little and then i correct, but he break pretty sharp by two or three lengths so i was pretty sure that i wasn't bothering nobody. >> bob baffert, back in 1996, you had a horse who won the kentucky derby by a short, short margin. more agonizing, waiting out that photo finish in that derby or sweating out this steward decision here? >> well, this situation here, i knew it wasn't really a lot of -- it happened the first jump so it wasn't really a lot of contact there, but, you know, i was excited but for some reason drama seems to follow me everywhere i go. i've wanted to win a race like this without any drama, but i'm glad it's good and i'm so proud of this little guy right here. he ran an unbelievable race, and he works hard every day, my staff, jimmy barnes, all the people that work for me, they work so hard and kaleem, you know, once in a while we deserve one of these. >> congratulations to the both of you on your first breeders'

cup classic. tom? >> all right, laffit. so he finally got one, bob baffert now in the winner's circle after the classic. here's the complete order of finish in the breeders' cup classic, and we said the 3-year-olds were the strength this year, they finished 1, 2, 3, 4, although it's 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, shared belief's first defeat after seven victories in a row. as you see, the complete order of finish there all the way down to moreno, who was last. and shared belief, mike smith said he lost all chance in the first sixteenth of a mile. we saw the start. what else? >> well, it was even compounded here as you go down the stretch first time approaching the wire. jamie spencer on toast of new york had crowded him a little bit. moreno comes out in front of him looking for room, then on the heels of moreno right there, so mike smith had to pull back on shared belief, stopping his momentum there. but relative to the stewards' opinion of it didn't cost him a placing, it's much in their discretion whether or not it

affected the outcome of the race for this particular horse or cost him a placing in the money. now, it happened at the start so it's hard to say that far to go in the race does it affect him. >> solarry collmus spoke with the steward and that's what they said about the decision to leave it official, bayern winning the breeders' cup classic over toast of new york, california chrome, and shared belief. well, sunday night is football night. as the ravens take on the steelers on "sunday night football." coming up next, except on the west coast, it's "law and order." so for our entire nbc sports prod kst team, tom hammond thanking you for joining us. we'll leave you with the sights and sounds of santa anita and the 2014 breeders' cup. ♪

>> they're off in the breeders' cup classic! here's the finish! bayern! holds on over toast of new york! good evening. virgin galactic spaceship 2 lost in a deadly crash was no ordinary space vehicle. it was said to be the first to be sending paying passengers to space next year. and the folks known for

investigating plane, train and bus crashes for the first time leading the investigation into the crash of a manned spaceship. tonight as experts secure debris we learned the identity of a 39-year-old pilot who died in the crash as well as the other who was badly injured. we are joined with late details on the investigation. >> reporter: the surviving pilot was in surgery today. the first of the kind investigation. this is the commercial space community is reeling but remains optimistic. the pilot killed when virgin galactic space plane exploded was identified today as michael alsbury. the first person ever to die

during a commercial space flight. >> in testing the boundaries of human capabilities and technologies we are standing on the shoulders. yesterday we fell short. >> reporter: just after 10:00 a.m. friday when first responders learned the flight had gone terribly wrong. at 45,000 feet spaceship 2 started breaking apart. in the first of its kind investigation the ntsb is analyzing debris and data which could lead to recommendations for new regulations. >> to find out not only what happened but also more importantly why it happened so we can make recommendations to try to prevent it from happening again. >> reporter: the deadly explosion isn't the first tragedy on the road to space tourism. three people died in 2007 after it exploded at the space port. for those who dedicate their lives to testing the limits of human achievement the rewards

will always be worth the risk. >> accidents do happen and loss of life does happen. from there we do an investigation and figure out the root cause. >> reporter: i believe humanity's greatest achievements. ken baxter was first in line to get his ticket. >> i did pay $200,000 for my ticket and i have been offered $1 million. i have no intention of selling it or getting a refund. i'm ready to rocket into outer space. >> all 400 engineers who work here and i think most people in the world would love to see the dream living on. >> reporter: nbc news has an agreement with virgin galactic to televise the inaugural flight with paying passengers. the future of the flight may

depend on findings and potential recommendations of ntsb. a day after halloween but we are getting a taste of what may be in store this winter. the south is getting hit with early season snowfall. we are seeing brutal winds and heavy rain storms. here's nbc's kristen dahlgren. >> reporter: call it snowvember. this may look like a mid-winter scene far up north, but this was today in south carolina, the earliest snow on record in parts of the south. from sugar mountain, north carolina, to parts of georgia. and while chicago is known as the windy city, on friday wind gusts of up to 65 miles an hour took down light poles. and whipped the waves on lake michigan over 20 feet high. winds have been quieting down before nick wallenda's daring highwire attempt in chicago tomorrow.

>> my backup plan if anything goes awry, if the wind gusts get strong, i go to the safety of the wire and wrap around and i'll wait for help. >> reporter: in drought-stricken california there was much-needed rain. in some places too much, carrying mud into almost a dozen homes. but as skies cleared over southern california, a more welcome weather phenomenon took shape. social media lighting up with these images of spectacular rainbows. kristen dahlgren, nbc news, new york. the pennsylvania community where a suspected cop killer alluded authorities for weeks can finally rest easy this weekend. police are still searching for answers as they try to move on. ron allen has our report tonight. >> i cried. it was the end for me. >> reporter: darla dixon said she never doubted his fellow troopers would bring eric frein to justice for allegedly killing her son. >> they honored bryon as their brother.

he would be very proud of them. >> reporter: now hoping to make sense of all this, investigators can continue digging into frein's past, trying to understand why the 31-year-old unemployed military buff allegedly ambushed the troopers. >> there is no reason that i'm aware of. >> reporter: none at all? >> none at all. >> reporter: police believe he had a grudge against cops, but top state officials say they don't know why. >> my gut tells me he wanted to strike out and we were the most available target because we wear uniforms and primary law enforcement in this area. >> reporter: the impact is still being felt across these resort communities where tourists stayed away as police hunted for frein. how bad has it been? >> it's been awful. >> reporter: elaine says visits at her garden and gift shop has been off by as much as 45%, it's usually packed during the fall foliage season. will you survive this? >> absolutely. oh, yeah. i've been here for almost 25 years. >> reporter: not far away more signs of endurance, hope to raise $5,000 for a police

department hit hard by the costly manhunt. >> amazing what one person can do to a community. >> reporter: and especially one family. now they say relying on their faith. >> he chose that profession. and it was true to the nature of who he was. and we're proud of what he stood for and the job that he did. >> reporter: and as for frein he faces charges that include murder, attempted murder and possession of a weapon of mass destruction. bombs police say he had in the woods. prosecutors said they'll seek the death penalty. frein has not entered a plea nor made a public comment about the case. lester. >> ron allen for us in pennsylvania this evening. thank you. >> we're back after this.

a third victim has died following last week's shooting at a washington state high school. 14-year-old shaylee chuckulnaskit succumbed to injuries obtained in the shooting.

earlier today a service was held for another victim. two students remain hospitalized. canada has announced it will stop issuing visas to people from west african countries, at least those at the heart of the ebola outbreak. meanwhile, in this country there is good news for the only u.s. patient still battling the virus, dr. craig spencer who contracted the disease while treating victims in guinea has been upgraded to stable condition. and nina pham was reunited with her dog bentley. the pet had been placed on quarantine when the nurse contracted the virus. here at home the virus is still ravaging parts of west africa. despite the risk u.s. doctors are still heading to the front lines. it's an assignment that means weeks or months away from family and an uncertain welcome when they do return home to the states. here's nbc's joe fryer. >> reporter: dr. foucle is making the most of his weekend with his 2-year-old daughter.

next week he leaves for a month-long trip to liberia to join the fight against ebola. how important is all this equipment? >> this is a matter of life and death. >> reporter: for three days he trained at the centers for disease control. >> i believe i'm well-equipped to go. doesn't mean i'm not scared. >> reporter: when he returns he plans to be quarantined for 21 days, but his wife knows that still may not alleviate some fears. >> i think people will be nervous being around him even after the quarantine. >> reporter: despite the stigma, his employer, the university of california san francisco, wants health care workers to go. the university has set up a system for employees to give their vacation days to those heading to west africa. so far more than 660 hours have been donated. on top of that doctors are voluntarily picking up shifts

for co-workers going overseas. she fears many won't go. >> the stigma and the concerns around quarantine worry me, it worries me partly because we risk the loss of other professionals who choose to go there. >> reporter: he hopes it will reduce the fears around him. >> i don't want the focus to be on me when we come back. i think the surest way to do that is take myself out of the picture. >> reporter: that means he might go a couple months without seeing or hugging his little girl. >> where does this one go? >> it's a big one. >> reporter: it won't be easy but calls it a small price to pay to help stop the deadly outbreak from spreading. joe fryer, nbc news, san francisco. and we're back after this.

if you're in the market for big deals then you are in luck tonight. retailers are locked in fierce competition for holiday shoppers. our report tonight from nbc's gabe gutierrez. >> reporter: as halloween decorations come down, the holiday shopping season is heating up. >> we're ready. it's on. it's that time of the year. >> reporter: that time of year seems to be coming earlier than usual. today, walmart launched price rollbacks on more than 20,000 items, four weeks before black friday, the day after thanksgiving shopping rush. the world's largest retailer wants business now. >> i don't want to do the black friday thing. so if i know it's going to be earlier, i'm more likely to buy early. >> reporter: office depot and office max are also kicking up holiday sales this weekend. so amazon.com. target offering free shipping on all online purchases and sears planning discounts next weekend.

>> you have more things and you get exactly what you want. >> reporter: while retailers are saving the best door buster deals for black friday, experts say they're competing to attract more customers earlier. >> for customers waiting until the last minute does mean they'll get the deeper discount, but it doesn't guarantee they'll get that merchandise. >> reporter: industry wide holiday sales are forecast to rise 4% this year. online purchases expected to grow from 8% to 11%. on its website walmart promises shoppers cyber monday-type deals this monday. >> they can expect 20,000 rollbacks on items across the store. we're rolling back items on toys whether you're in the store or on dot com. >> reporter: procrastinators be ware, less of an excuse to wait to the last minute. gabe gutierrez, atlanta. once upon a time man's best friend could take it easy,

spending the day curled up on the floor. but now the days are jam-packed with doggie day care, play dates and even spa sessions. the latest craze has them working, well, like a dog. here's nbc's jenna wolfe. >> reporter: let's face it, these days when it comes to diet and exercise, if you can think it, a gym will offer it. at one gym in alexandria, virginia, has made an offer you can't refuse, four legs with a one-track mind. get moving. >> we train more like cross fit. some time on the treadmill, balance equipment and ability ring. >> reporter: kim and her husband came up with the idea for frolic dogs gym. and as expected when first shopped around it was met with some hesitation. >> we got the eye roll, the head smack. it's like, really? a dog gym? >> reporter: but four months in and membership is booming. why? more and more people have dogs these days yet owners have less and less time to properly exercise them. treadmills, balance beams, high

bars, even trainers, sort of. go on, shoo. >> good boy. >> reporter: and just like people, dogs have their favorite equipment. reese is a fan of the balance beam. reese, let me see it. >> come on, reese. >> let's see it mary lou retton, i like it. beau is five years old and works out every day. >> gets mental stimulation and exercise. and it will keep him from chewing up the couch. >> reporter: ace is an agility competitor and a little bit of a show-off. >> i have no backyard. so it's fun for us to come here and practice. say hi to jenna. >> reporter: feels really one-sided. maybe it doesn't come across that way. and like people some dogs just like going to the gym to socialize. >> he loves it. very mindful of their safety. >> reporter: what's next? cat gyms, turtle gyms, goat gyms. >> dogs have the right desire to please. >> reporter: so for now this canine craze is all theirs. jenna wolfe, nbc news,

alexandria, virginia. that's "nbc nightly news" for this saturday. don't forget to set your clocks back by one hour later tonight for daylight saving time. i'm lester holt reporting from new york. i'll see you tomorrow morning on "today" and right back here tomorrow evening. good night.

nbc bay area flus starts now new information on an illegal drug lab in the east bay. lives interrupted. the neighbors trying to pick up

the pieces plus, details on a man accused of sparking fires this is not the san francisco bay crews rushing to a rescue on the north bay. i am terry mcsweeney. >> i am peggy bunker. one man is dead in bodega bay. in the newsroom we have been following the four and we have more. >> reporter: a coast guard crew found the loan survivor.