Breaking down Saturday’s Breeders’ Cup races
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Results from the Breeders’ Cup on Saturday at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky.
$500,000 Marathon
Afleet Again, at odds of 41-1, rallied in the stretch to win the 1 3/4-mile race and return $85.20. Afleet Again had lost 13 consecutive races. Favorite A.U. Miner was pulled up after suffering a broken leg bone.
$1-million Juvenile Turf
Wrote, a 2-year-old son of two-time Breeders’ Cup Turf winner High Chaparral, gave European-based horses their first victory of the weekend, winning the mile race at odds of 11-1 for trainer Aidan O’Brien.
$1.5-million Sprint
Jockey Mike Smith won his 14th Breeders’ Cup race, guiding West Coast-based Amazombie to a come-from-behind victory for veteran trainer Bill Spawr. “There’s no words to describe the feeling,” Spawr said.
$1-million Turf Sprint
Regally Ready dominated the five-furlong race, winning for the sixth time in nine sprint turf races this year for trainer Steve Asmussen and jockey Corey Nakatani. “That was awesome,” Asmussen said.
$1-million Dirt Mile
Caleb’s Posse, a 3-year-old son of Posse, came from far off the pace to run down Preakness Stakes winner Shackleford. “You could see coming down the stretch that he had dead aim on the leader,” trainer Donnie Von Hemel said. “The last sixteenth of a mile, we just got to celebrate.”
$3-million Turf
St Nicholas Abbey gave trainer Aidan O’Brien his second win of the day, but this one was different. The winning jockey was O’Brien’s 18-year-old son, Joseph, who became the youngest jockey to win a Breeders’ Cup race. “It’s very special,” the elder O’Brien said.
$2-million Juvenile
Hansen, a 3-year-old son of Tapit, took the lead at the start and refused to be passed despite intense pressure in the stretch from Union Rags and Creative Cause to win the 1 1/16-mile race. “He’s a natural,” trainer Michael Maker said. “Obviously, his performance speaks for itself. That’s the way he wants to run and we weren’t going to change a thing.”
$2-million Mile
Court Vision, at odds of 64-1, picked up a nose victory over Turallure, producing the second-largest payout in the 28-year history of Breeders’ Cup at $131.60. Goldikova, seeking a fourth consecutive victory in the race, finished third.
$5-million Classic
A year ago, jockey Mike Smith couldn’t get Zenyatta up in time to win the Classic. This time, he rallied 2010 Belmont winner Drosselmeyer to victory, overtaking Game On Dude and former girlfriend Chantal Sutherland near the finish for trainer Bill Mott, who won the Ladies’ Classic on Friday with Royal Delta.
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