Aidan O’Brien has won most big races multiple times but his quest for a first Breeders’ Cup Classic continues after City Of Troy could finish only eighth in the $7 million race on dirt on Saturday night.
The Derby winner was slow out of the gates, a common trait of Europeans runners on the dirt, slow into his stride and was thereafter on the back foot, unable to find a rhythm, behind a ferocious pace which was being set by seven horses contesting the lead down to the first bend.
Indeed they even set the fastest half mile for a Classic in Breeders’ Cup history.
It is, perhaps, no surprise the winner was the only horse behind City of Troy after a quarter of a mile.
It looked like the race might blow up and did but, even when switched to the outside, and he began to make some ground out of the back straight, it was short lived, a flame flickering out in the wind.
He flattened out in the home stretch and O’Brien’s dirt bred son of Justify, was never able to threaten finishing some way behind the Chad Brown trained winner Sierra Leone. Though he beat six horses home, the truth was he never got into the race, never looked like winning or taking that next step to greatness.
Ryan Moore, who has survived an injury scare after being unseated from Believing in the stalls earlier in the day, would have known his fate a few strides into the race as City of Troy took his first a faceful of sand and that rather than breaking O’Brien’s hoodoo and joining the all-time greats, a dirt covered City of Troy became O’Brien’s 18th miss in the race.
O’Brien, is not stupid and even he knew it was game over before they had gone a furlong, said: “It’s so sporting of the lads to let us run in the race. For us he’s been the most incredible horse. I think what happened was at the start. It’s great the lads push the boundaries and expose their horses to these sorts of challenges. I just need to step it up a bit, don’t I?”
It was, ironically, not a bad result for Coolmore. Sierra Leone, a real dirt horse who was runner-up in the Kentucky Derby is owned by Coolmore in partnership with Peter Brant and Brook Smith and was a first winner in the race for them and trainer Brown. “It’s great to get it done,” said Brown. “You can never take it for granted that you’ll ever be up here again.”
It was however a different story for Europe on the turf at the 41st Breeders’ Cup. Ralph Beckett who has had his best domestic season and won an Arc in France last month and last night his cup properly spilled over in Del Mar when Starlust, a horse who has thrived in training here all week, swept through to win the Turf Sprint under a brilliant ride from Rossa Ryan.
The pre-race drama of City of Troy’s jockey Ryan Moore being unseated in the stall by Believing, a late scratch, was matched by the stewards inquiry which Starlust had to survive after sweeping up the inside from almost last to first to snatch victory from Motorius.
The Sprint was the one turf race in which the US had a red hot favourite, Cogburn, but he went so fast in front he was cooked a furlong out and set it up for Beckett’s colt. Starlust was last and off the bridle early on but Ryan, fresh from his Arc win, went the shortest way then weaved his way through but not without bumping a retreating Isivungovungo in the process giving trainer and jockey a tense few minutes afterwards..
When asked if his pony racing background had come in handy around Del mar’s sharp bends, Ryan joked: “It’s just like Dingle all over again. It wasn’t the plan but Ralph left it to me and filled me with confidence. I wasn’t worried being off the bridle after two furlongs because he always comes good two out. It was one of those days when we had luck on our side.”
It was Starlust’s 10th run of the season. “He went to Dubai and treated it like he was on holiday,” said Beckett who won the Breeders’ Cup Marathon 16 years ago. “But he ran well in the Nunthorpe and was unlucky in the Abbaye. What a ride. I told him not to be afraid to burrow down the inside. Rossa improves every month and he’s blossomed.”
International jet-setter Rebel’s Romance maintained Charlie Appleby’s stunning record at the meeting. His strike rate was 10 winners from 20 runners and Rebel’s Romance, a bit of a character, was already on that scoresheet for him when he won the Turf two years ago.
After a number of races in which the pace collapsed late on because of the early speed, in the Turf they crawled and, aware of this, Buick went forward on the home bend first time round and it proved a race winning move and he was just able to hang on from the Japanese pair Rousham Park and Shahryah.
“I sensed they were getting a soft lead up front and I was three wide in no mans’ land but when he got to the front he got into a lovely rhythm when he travels powerfully but within himself. He’s amazing, he always finds a way.”
The winner is a remarkable six-year-old gelding having won in Dubai, Hong Kong, Europe and America. “He’s an international star,” said Appleby. “He draws all the attention. You know with a horse like that he’s always going to give his best so he’s easy to watch..”
Appleby was unlucky not to double up when Cinderella’s Dream was a fast finishing second to the Canadian mare Moira in the Filly and Mare Turf while Notable Speech was third in the Mile, the only Turf race won by an American horse, More Than Looks.
