Friday marked the 40th running of the Breeders' Cup championships, but it was only the 17th edition of the Grade 1, $1-million Prevagen Juvenile Turf, a race inaugurated in 2007 and dominated by Irish trainer Aidan O'Brien. He came into this year's edition with a trio of runners led by morning line favorite River Tiber, who'd won the G2 Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot in June.
Even with the scratch by Breeders' Cup veterinarians of that runner, O'Brien still managed a 1-2 Juvenile Turf finish with French-bred Unquestionable and Ryan Moore finishing 1 1/2 lengths ahead of stablemate Mountain Bear and Dylan McGonagle. Mark Casse-trained My Boy Prince finished a head back in third. Can Group, Agate Road, Tok Tok, Air Recruit, Endlessly, Carson's Run, Stay Hot, and Fulmineo completed the order of finish.
The victory by the Wooton Bassett colt was O'Brien's sixth in the Juvenile Turf and his 17th Breeders' Cup victory overall, putting him just one behind all-time leader Bob Baffert. All six of those wins in the Juvenile Turf were with Moore in the saddle, who was winning his 13th Breeders' Cup race.
Unquestionable is owned by Al Shaqab Racing, Westerberg, Mrs. John Magnier, Derrick Smith, and Michael B. Tabor.
Unquestionable ran the mile on firm turf in 1:33.65 and paid $5.00 to win as the favorite. The time was approximately four-fifths of a second faster than Hard to Justify needed to win the G1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf an hour earlier.
Mountain Bear, sent away as a 22-1 longshot for O'Brien, was pulled up past the finish by his rider and taken off the track by the equine ambulance. A Breeders' Cup statement said: “Mountain Bear was taken via equine ambulance to the Southern California Equine Foundation (SCEF) equine hospital for further evaluation and diagnostics and was determined to have sustained a non-displaced lateral condylar fracture to his left front leg. He has been returned to the barn in the care of his connections. A full recovery is expected.”
Moore picked up the mount on Unquestionable from Frankie Dettori after originally being named to ride River Tiber, who was scratched earlier in the day. Equibase listed two other horses as vet scratches: Grand Mo the First and Liam's Journey.
“We were sorry to see him go,” O'Brien said of the decision by veterinarians to scratch River Tiber. “Listen, rules are rules, and we thought he was ready to run. Obviously the vets didn't agree, but it's their job.
“Obviously whatever the authorities decide happens, and we accept that. That's the way it was. There will be plenty of other days. It was going to be the last run for the season anyway, so that was just the way it was really.”
Moore gave Unquestionable a savvy ride, saving ground after breaking the No. 7 post and settling just a couple of lengths behind early leader Air Recruit through fractions of :22.26, :46.72, and 1:10.25. The winner was angled off the rail into the stretch, collared My Boy Prince – who grabbed the lead at the top of the lane – then drew off for the victory.
“Ryan (Moore) gave him an unbelievable ride in a great position from an early stage from a tough draw,” said O'Brien. “He won very well in the end and I'm delighted. He did everything right in the preparations going into the race so for him to go and win is brilliant.”
Unquestionable came into the Juvenile Turf with just one career win, a maiden race at the Curragh in May, but was narrowly beaten in the G2 Railway Stakes at the Curragh in July, then second again in the G1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere at Longchamp Oct. 1.
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