The brilliant filly Enable won the Breeders’ Cup Turf (G1) on Saturday. (Photo credit: Breeders’ Cup Ltd.).
The betting favorites Enable and Accelerate both got the job done, stealing the show on Saturday at the Breeders’ Cup with exciting wins at Churchill Downs.
Enable won the $4 million Breeders’ Cup Turf (G1) while Accelerate took home the marquee event over the two-day championship event, the $6 million Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1).
Enable became the first Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (G1) to return and win the Turf. The brilliant filly had quite a stretch battle with Magical and preivaled by ¾ of a length and returning her backers $3.60.
Jockey Frankie Detrori took the mare far to the outside in the stretch and engaged with Ryan Moore and Magical (10-1) in a thrilling stretch duel. It was nine lengths back to the third-place finisher Sadler’s Joy.
Seven other Arc winners attempted to win the Turf, but it took the brilliance of Enable to accomplish the feat.
Breeders’ Cup Turf Replay
Accelerate Gets Sadler Off Duck
Hronis Racing’s Accelerate ($7.40) took command at the head of the stretch, turned back a bid from Thunder Snow at the three-sixteenths pole and then held off Gunnevera by a length to win the 35th running of the $6 million Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) for 3-year-olds and up before a crowd of 70,423 to climax the Breeders’ Cup World Championships at Churchill Downs on Saturday.
Trained by John Sadler and ridden by Joel Rosario, Accelerate covered the 1 ¼ miles in 2:02.93 over a fast main track.
The victory gave Sadler his first Breeders’ Cup triumph. “It was the ninth for Rosario and first in the Classic. It was the third victory of this year’s Championships for Rosario who won Friday’s Sentient Jet Juvenile on Game Winner and the Tito’s Handmade Vodka Juvenile Fillies on Jaywalk.
Accelerate is a 5-year-old Kentucky-bred son of Lookin At Lucky out of the Awesome Again mare Issues. It was the fourth consecutive Grade 1 victory for Accelerate who has compiled a 7-6-1-0 record in 2018.
Mendelssohn led the field of 14 through fractions of :22.68, :46.46 and 1:10.61 with McKinzie and West Coast stalking to his outside and Thunder Snow saving ground along the rail.
Rosario had Accelerate in the clear and approaching the far turn made his move at the leaders. At the head of the stretch, Accelerate swooped to the lead with Thunder Snow moving to second to mount a short-lived challenge.
Gunnevera closed late to get second by three-quarters of a length over Thunder Snow, who saved third place by a nose over Yoshida.
Breeders’ Cup Classic Replay
Monomoy Girl Delivers in Breeders’ Cup Distaff
Michael Dubb, Monomoy Stables, The Elkstone Group and Bethlehem Stables’ Monomoy Girl ($5.60) shook off a challenge from Blue Prize in the upper stretch and then held off Wow Cat by a length to win the 35th running of the $2 million Longines Breeders’ Cup Distaff (G1) for 3-year-olds and up Saturday afternoon at Churchill Downs.
Trained by Brad Cox and ridden by Florent Geroux, Monomoy Girl covered the 1 1/8 miles on a fast main track in 1:49.79. The victory is the first for Cox in the Breeders’ Cup and fifth for Geroux.
A 3-year-old Kentucky-bred daughter of Tapizar out of the Henny Hughes mare Drumette. It was her fifth Grade 1 victory of the year and comes after being disqualified from victory in the Grade 1 Cotillion.
Wonder Gadot set the pace in the field of 11 with fractions of :23.39, :47.57 and 1:12.11 with Monomoy Girl tracking just behind. Midway on the far turn, Geroux sent Monomoy Girl to the front with Blue Prize launching a bid to her outside.
In the lane, Monomoy Girl never yielded the lead, disposing of Blue Prize at mid-stretch and having enough left to fend off the late bid from Wow Cat.
Wow Cat finished a half-length in front of Midnight Bisou, who rallied to get third by a head over Blue Prize.
Breeders’ Cup Distaff Replay
Expert Eyes Takes Breeders’ Cup Mile
Juddmonte Farms’ Expert Eye ($13.80) closed with a rush to edge Catapult by a half-length and win the 35th running of the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Mile (G1) for 3-year-olds and up Saturday afternoon at Churchill Downs.
Trained by Sir Michael Stoute and ridden by Frankie Dettori, Expert Eye covered the mile on a turf course labeled as good in 1:39.80. The victory was the eighth in the Breeders’ Cup for Stoute and 13th for Dettori. Dettori won his first Breeders’ Cup race in 1994 in the Mile with Barathea at Churchill Downs.
Expert Eye is a 3-year-old Great Britain-bred son of Acclamation out of the Dansili mare Exemplify. The victory is his first Grade 1 triumph.
Analyze It set a pressured pace as Expert Eye raced in mid-pack. At the head of the stretch, Dettori swung Expert Eye into the middle of the course for clear sailing as Analyze It battled to fend off Catapult and Divisidero.
Inside the sixteenth pole, Catapult gained a brief advantage only to have Expert Eye surge past just before the wire.
Catapult finished a neck in front of Analyze It, who saved the show spot by a nose over Divisidero.
