Glass Slippers (GB) justified a long flight from her European base with a brilliant performance under a patient ride by jockey Tom Eaves to win the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint Saturday. The 4-year-old filly hung well back, tucked along the rail behind the majority of the field through the backstretch and around the turn, appeared to have nowhere to go until a gap opened up, allowing Eaves to quietly ease her closer to the pace. Still, Glass Slippers was forced to wait behind dueling Wildman Jack and Into Mystic in front, hemmed in to her right shoulder by Extravagant Kid. She found another gear and burst through a narrow gap inside of Extravagant Kid, charging forward to challenge Wildman Jack, easily putting him away and holding off a wall of late challengers led by Wet Your Whistle. The final margin was a half length.
“It's just brilliant,” said Eaves. “We arrived on Monday and we exercised her on the turf track all week. We also walked it a couple of times. I spoke to Ryan Moore beforehand for some advice on how to ride the track. What a training performance. She's been great all year so come to and win it's unreal. She's raced round a bend before but the plan was to go on the instead and ride for a bit of luck. We had a great run through which doesn't always work but it did today. To have a Breeders' Cup winner Is amazing and a day I won't forget. She'll be in training again next year.”
The win is the first in the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint for a European-based horse.
Wet Your Whistle was second, followed by Leinster. Glass Slippers paid $22.40 to win.
The final time for the five and a half furlongs was 1:01.53.
Kevin Ryan trains Glass Slippers for owner/breeder Bearstone Stud Limited. She is the daughter of Dream Ahead and Night Gypsy (GB) by Mind Games (GB). The filly came to this race off a narrow second-place finish in the G1 Prix de l'Abbaye de Longchamp on Oct. 20, and a win prior to that in the G1 Flying Five Stakes at the Curragh.
“Awesome. I'm ecstatic,” said Ryan. “To come and compete against the best sprinters in the world and beat them is just amazing. She's been great all week. Every day getting fresher and cantering on the turf track every morning. I said to Tom earlier in the week now you're going quicker running into bend let's see how she changes her legs and straight away no issues at all in the bend. I knew then we were in business. We decided going on a brave ride up the inner and go the shortest route and if it didn't work such is life. Today was our day.”
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