Japan ends 13-race Breeders’ Cup skid
DEL MAR, Calif. – Japan snapped an 0-for-13 skid in the Breeders’ Cup on Saturday, with a stunning 45-1 upset in the $2 million Distaff and a victory in the $2 million Filly and Mare Turf at Del Mar.
Marche Lorraine edged Dunbar Road by a nose, with the crowd anxiously waiting out the photo finish in the Distaff. The 5-year-old mare ran 11/8 miles in 1:47.67 and paid $101.80 to win under Irish jockey Oisín Murphy.
“I had no idea. With the shadows, it’s impossible to know exactly where the (finish) line is,” Murphy said. “It was a brilliant performance. I thought try to ignore her odds and give her every chance.”
Letruska, the 8-5 favorite with ties to Mexico, finished 10th among 11 horses.
Yoshito Yahagi trained both of Japan’s champions. Loves Only You won the Filly & Mare Turf by a half-length under Yuga Kawada.
Loves Only You came flying between horses in deep stretch and finished 13/8 miles in 2:13.87. She paid $10.60 to win at 4-1 odds.
“I’d like to say thank you to my horse. She did a great job,” Yahagi said through a translator. “It’s a dream come true for the Japanese horse racing industry. I’d love to come back Breeders’ Cup at Keeneland next year and do the same thing.”
Yahagi didn’t have to wait that long. Three races later, he saddled Marche Lorraine in the Distaff.
War Like Goddess, the 2-1 favorite in the Filly & Mare Turf, finished third. Defending champion Audarya was fifth.
Knicks Go and Belmont Stakes winner Essential Quality were the favorites for the $6 million Classic later Saturday. The field was reduced to eight when Express Train was scratched in the morning with swelling in his right hock, similar to an ankle.
Sun finally broke through the fog that blanketed the seaside track north of San Diego a day earlier.
In other races:
Aloha West scored an upset in winning the $2 million Sprint by a nose. The 4-year-old colt, who began his racing career this year, was sixth at the top
of the stretch and edged Dr. Schivel at the wire under Jose Ortiz, who won his second Cup race of the weekend. Trained by Wayne Catalano, Aloha West ran six furlongs in 1:08.49 and paid $24.60 to win. Jackie’s Warrior, the 1-2 favorite, was sixth.
“I knew there was a lot of speed in the race and I had none, so I knew I was going to come from the back,” Ortiz said. “He was giving me a great run, but I didn’t know if I was going to get there. Finally, we did.”
Ce Ce won the $1 million Filly & Mare Sprint by 21/2 lengths in an upset.
The 6-1 shot paid $14.40 to win. Defending champion Gamine, the 2-5 favorite trained by Bob Baffert, finished third, ending her five-race winning streak. Victor Espinoza, who is 49, rode Ce Ce to his first Cup win since 2015. She ran seven furlongs in 1:21.
Ireland-bred Space Blues won the $2 million Mile by a half-length for trainer Charlie Appleby.
He ran 1 mile on the turf in 1:34.01 and paid $6.20 to win as the 2-1 favorite in his last race before retiring.
Appleby’s other horse, Master of the Seas, was scratched at the starting gate after acting up in the No. 1 post.
Neither horse nor jockey James Doyle was hurt.
It was similar to what occurred Friday, when Appleby’s Modern Games was mistakenly scratched by the veterinarians before being reinstated to run in the $1 million Juvenile Turf for purse money only. Modern Games won.
“I’m getting used to this sort of speech now,” Appleby joked.