Marche Lorraine Prevails Over Dunbar Road By A Whisker To Steal Distaff

If Breeders' Cup viewers thought the finish of the Sprint, which featured a ding-dong battle between Aloha West and Dr. Schivel, was a nail-biter, Breeders' Cup Distaffers demonstrated we hadn't seen anything yet.

Top betting choices and hot early pacesetters Private Mission, Malathaat, and Shedaresthedevil were overcome midstretch by an arsenal of closers, including Marche Lorraine (JPN) and Dunbar Road scrapping in the final strides. It was Marche Lorraine, who had sat well off the pace early in the 1 1/8-mile contest, who fought her way through under British champion jockey Oisin Murphy, edging Dunbar Road by the narrowest of noses in the photo finish.

The race gave Japanese shippers their second victory of the day, after Loves Only You took the Filly and Mare Turf earlier in the afternoon, also running for trainer Yoshito Yahgi.

Letruska, who had been the heavy 8-5 favorite, had room to run but faded going into the final turn, finishing up tenth.

Malathaat hung on for third in another photo finish over Clariere.

Off at odds of 45-1, Marche Lorraine paid $101.80, $41.00, and $18.80.

Early fractions were blistering at :21.84, :44.97, 1:09.70, and 1:35.28, with a final time of 1:47.67.

U. Carrot Farm owns Marche Lorraine, who was bred in Japan by Northern Farm. The 5-year-old mare is the daughter of Orfevre and French Deputy mare Vite Marcher. She came to the race off a win in the Breeders' Gold Cup Stakes on Aug. 12 at Mombetsu. Earlier this year, she won both the nine-furlong Tck Jo-O Hai and the eleven-furlong Empress Hai. Marche Lorraine has found success on both turf and dirt, and has excelled on a variety of track conditions in her dirt races.

More information will be added as it becomes available.

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Loves Only You Breaks Through For Japan With Thrilling Filly & Mare Turf Triumph

It's been 35 years since Japanese Triple Crown winner Symboli Rudolf came to the U.S. in search of a major stakes victory in California that never materialized. It's been 26 years since Ski Captain traveled from Japan for an historic, but ultimately futile, attempt to win the Kentucky Derby. Sixteen years ago, Cesario scored a breakthrough Grade 1 victory for a Japanese-trained Thoroughbred in the  American Oaks at Hollywood Park and it's been six years since French-trained Karakontie won the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Mile to become the first Japanese-bred winner of a Breeders' Cup race.

But until Loves Only You and jockey Yuga Kawada burst through a narrow opening in midstretch to beat My Sister Nat to the wire in Saturday's Grade 1, $2-million Filly & Mare Turf, no Japanese-bred and Japanese-trained horse had been successful on the world's biggest stage for Thoroughbreds, the Breeders' Cup World Championships.

The 5-year-old mare by Japanese Triple Crown winner Deep Impact, a son of 1989 U.S. Horse of the Year Sunday Silence, was considered the best runner ever sent by a Japanese horseman to the Breeders' Cup, and the globe-trotting Loves Only You did not disappoint. Sent off the 4-1 third betting choice, she secured a ground-saving spot just behind the early leaders in the 1 3/8-mile Filly & Mare Turf, awaited room at the top of the stretch and then demonstrated a quick turn of foot to overtake the front-runners and hold off a fast-finishing My Sister Nat by a head.

War Like Goddess, the 2-1 favorite, finished a head back in third after moving to the lead with an eye-catching, wide rally from the three-eighths pole to the wire. Love, the Aidan O'Brien-trained multiple Group 1 winner from Ireland, finished fourth as the 3-1 second betting choice, with defending Filly & Mare Turf winner Audarya fifth in the field of 12 fillies and mares. She was followed across the finish by Ocean Road, Rougir, Pocket Square, Acanella, Dogtag, Going to Vegas and Queen Supreme.

Loves Only You, owned by DMM Dream Club Co. and bred by Northern Farm, ran the 1 3/8 miles on firm turf in 2:13.87, about 2 4/5 seconds off the course record, and paid $10.60 on a $2 mutuel.

Going to Vegas went to the front, as expected, setting fractions of :24.10, :47.83, 1:13.06 and 1:38.20 while under pressure Dogtag. War Like Goddess, last early, turned up the heat with her move entering the far turn and was in front with an eighth of a mile to run after a mile and a quarter was clocked in 2:02.46.

A classic winner of the G1 Japanese Oaks at 3, Loves Only You was winless in five starts as a 4-year-old in 2020, but rebounded this year to win the G1 Queen Elizabeth II Cup in Hong Kong in April after finishing a close third to Mishriff in the G2 Dubai Sheema Classic at Meydan in Dubai. After a summer freshening, Loves Only You returned with a second-place finish in the G2 Sapporo Kinen in Sapporo, Japan, her last start before the Breeders' Cup.

“You know, when we finished second at Sapporo, I picked that race because the turf track is similar to Del Mar,” said trainer Yahagi.

The Filly & Mare Turf winner was produced by the U.S.-bred Loves Only Me, an unraced daughter of Storm Cat who was purchased by Japan's leading breeder, Katsumi Yoshida, for $900,000 from the Lane's End consignment at the 2009 Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale. Loves Only Me was bred by the Niarchos and is a granddaughter of two-time Breeders' Cup Mile winner Miesque.

“I'd like to say thank you to my horse,” Yahagi said. “She did a great job. It's a dream come true for Japanese horse racing history. I'd love to come back Breeders' Cup at Keeneland next year and do the same thing, to win!”

Quotes from other connections:

Trainer Chad Brown (My Sister Nat (FR), second) – “My Sister Nat ran great. Pocket Square just couldn't run that far. Jose (Ortiz) rode a great race. We had a plan to follow War Like Goddess, which he executed perfectly. I just said, 'If you have any chance to win, just follow her and draw alongside of her in the stretch and if our horse is good enough battle it out.' That's what Jose did. I'm so proud of this mare. It's bittersweet because she ran the race of her life, but it was her last race, and unfortunately, she never got that Grade 1 win that she deserves. She had a couple of tough beats. Nevertheless, she is off to the breeding shed and she has been a wonderful mare to train. I look forward to training her babies.”

Trainer Bill Mott (War Like Goddess, third as favorite) – “Being third's not as good as first. She ran hard. She made the lead a little early, maybe, and was a little wide off the turn – didn't have much choice about that.”

Jockey Julien Leparoux (War Like Goddess, third as favorite) – “We had a good trip.  She was nice and relaxed relaxed early.  Just before the three-eighths pole she took a hold of the bridle on her own and made that big move.  I had to go on with her then and we got carried wide.  It was sooner than I would have liked.  She ran a very good race.”

Jockey Ryan Moore (Love, fourth) – “She ran well just not good enough on the day.”

Jockey William Buick (defending winner Audarya, fifth) – “She ran a very big race considering the run we had. She got boxed in then denied a clear but ran on strong to the line.”

Jockey Oisin Murphy (Ocean Road, sixth) – “Had a great run round and she's put up a good performance.”

Trainer Hugo Palmer (Ocean Road, sixth) – “She ran very well and is going to be a lovely filly for next year. I expect her to keep improving.”

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Golden Pal Out Of Gate Like A Rocket, Runs Away With Turf Sprint

Many top trainers know that the break is everything in a sprint race, and Golden Pal provided a textbook example in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint, taking the lead and never looking back for conditioner Wesley Ward.

Golden Pal and Irad Ortiz Jr. rocketed out of the third starting gate so quickly, television commentators watched the replay to verify his gate had indeed not opened before his competitors'. After a sharp break, Golden Pal kept clear of the rest of the field throughout the five-furlong race and drew away by 1 1/4 lengths from a valiant closing effort by Lieutenant Dan in the stretch. Lieutenant Dan and Frankie Dettori had given chase to the blistering early pace of :21.71 and :43.34. The final time was :54.75, equalling a course record set by Fast Parade on Aug. 16, 2006.

Golden Pal was the 5-2 favorite in the race, and paid $7.00, $4.60, and $3.60. Lieutenant Dan settled for second, while Charmaine's Mia was third.

Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor, and Derrick Smith, et al own the 3-year-old son of Uncle Mo, who was bred in Florida by Randall E. Lowe. Golden Pal is out of Midshipman mare Lady Shipman. He was an RNA at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale for $325,000, where he was consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency.

Golden Pal was the winner of last year's G2 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint and came to this race off a win in the G2 Woodford on Oct. 9 at Keeneland. He also picked up a win in the G3 Quick Call.

Golden Pal's connections confirmed to media he will likely stay in training next year, with 2022 goals to be determined.

More information will be added as it becomes available.

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Modern Games Crosses Juvenile Turf Wire In Front, Greeted By Chorus Of Boos After Wagering Kerfuffle

The Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf may have followed the centerpiece Juvenile on the Del Mar card, but it provided more than enough drama to cap off the first day of the 2021 Breeders' Cup. Modern Games (IRE) was the winner of the race while running for purse money only, while Tiz The Bomb was the winner for parimutuel wagering purposes, a confusing situation which set off frustration from the gathered California crowd.

The full field of 14 had loaded into the gate uneventfully and was waiting for the start when Modern Games grew restless and reared in the one gate, triggering stablemate Albahr (GB) to spook, rear, and fall onto the turf under the gate. Jockey Frankie Dettori, aboard Albahr, managed to extricate himself from the gate without being hurt, as the 2-year-old Charlie Appleby trainee thrashed on the ground. Around the same time, stablemate Modern Games (IRE) under William Buick came out of the adjacent gate. Buick later said that an assistant starter had opened the gate to allow him to escape any injury from Albahr, but that he wasn't sure how many people realized in the moment that his horse had been let out, rather than breaking through the gate.

An unidentified assistant starter was given medical attention for injuries sustained in the incident, according to TVG broadcasters. California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) officials were unable to provide an update on that assistant starter late Friday, or his/her name.

The horses were unloaded and Albahr was extricated from the gate, and Appleby later said the horse seemed to have escaped with minor cuts. While the horses were walking behind the gates awaiting reloading, the public was told Albahr and Modern Games were scratched. Then, an announcement came that Modern Games would run for purse money only.

CHRB officials later explained that two veterinarians standing behind the gate — Dr. Dana Stead and Dr. Chuck Jenkins — saw Modern Games rear and thought the horse hit the back of the gate, and that they believed he subsequently broke through the front gates.

Dr. Jeff Blea, equine medical director for the CHRB, explained that a horse breaking through a gate which has not been opened for the horse can result in a shoulder fracture that may not be detected until the horse began galloping. Such an injury could prove fatal.

CHRB executive director Scott Chaney said that veterinarians radioed to the stewards that Modern Games would be a scratch before the horse had been brought back around behind the gate. The scratch was announced and the horse was taken out of the wagering pools for around four minutes before veterinarians examined Modern Games and spoke with Buick. They concluded the horse had not broken the front gates and was in a fit state to race.

California Horse Racing Board rule 1974(B) states that “if a horse removed from the wagering pool due to a totalizator error or due to any other error, and neither the trainer nor the owner is at fault, the horse shall start in the race as a non-wagering interest for the purse money only and shall be disregarded for pari-mutuel purposes.”

At that point, the stewards could have left the horse scratched, or they could have allowed it to run for purse money only. Chaney said he did not think they could have put the horse back into the pools once it had been out for several minutes.

The stewards later released the following statement about the incident:

Prior to the start of the race, #1 Modern Games (IRE) reared up and hit the back of the gate; #2 Albahr (GB) flipped over and became lodged underneath the starting gate. The scratch of #2 Albahr was relayed to the stewards and that horse was taken out of the wagering pools. Albahr appears uninjured. The veterinary staff then relayed a second scratch of #1 Modern Games (IRE) to the stewards based on initial observation. Upon confirmation that #1 also was to be scratched, the stewards removed the horse from the wagering pools. After further discussion among the regulatory veterinarians at the gate and after further observation of #1 Modern Games, that horse was declared fit and racing sound, and this fact was relayed to the stewards, who pursuant to CHRB rule 1974 allowed the horse to run for purse money only. The CHRB and the Breeders' Cup are reviewing the current veterinary and scratching procedures to ensure that this does not occur going forward.

There is no rule in California requiring that a horse who breaks through a gate is an automatic scratch; rather, that decision is left up to the official veterinarian on the ground.

Buick said later he was unaware his horse ever had been scratched, because he knew the horse had not been injured in the incident. He was asked by veterinarians on the ground what had happened, and after he explained that he was let out of the gate by the starter, his horse was examined and he was reloaded.

“Usually horses get backed out the back of gate and everyone gets reorganized and goes again,” Buick said afterwards. “The stall handler there, he obviously meant well and tried to do the right thing, but he opened the front gate without anyone being ready for it and my horse did what he's taught to do and jumps out. Fortunately he got my message and we pulled up and went around the back. To be honest I was unaware of the situation. The vet team wanted to know what happened, I told them what happened and the guy who opened my gate told them thankfully exactly what he did and what happened there. They had all the information. Maybe there was a bit of confusion and panic back there.”

The horses were reloaded into the gates, and Modern Games sat fifth or sixth early leaders Coinage and Portfolio Company, who set the early pace through the backstretch. Grafton Street was sent after them at the top of the stretch, but Modern Games swung wide and found an extra gear in mid-stretch, drawing clear by 1 1/2 lengths at the wire.

Tiz The Bomb crossed the wire behind Modern Games, with Mackinnon and Grafton Street following. Due to Modern Games' status as “purse money only,” bettors were paid as though Tiz The Bomb had won the race: he returned $17.60, $7.40, and $5.20.

Modern Games returned to the Del Mar grandstand to a loud and persistent wave of boos from 20,536 race attendees who were upset about the wagering situation, creating a strange reception for Buick, Appleby, and Godolphin, who were awarded the trophy.

Modern Games came to the Breeders' Cup off a win in the G3 Sommerville Stakes at Newmarket on Sept. 23, having previously won the Take The Reins Handicap two weeks earlier. He is a 2-year-old son of Dubawi (IRE) out of New Approach (IRE) mare Modern Ideals (GB). He was bred in Ireland by the owner.

The race gave Appleby his fourth Breeders' Cup win. He won the same race in 2018 with Line of Duty.

Horseplayers expressed outrage and confusion at the mix-up online. Chaney attributed the sequence of events, in part, to the fact the race was the last of the day and already had an 18-minute delay as officials waited for the injured assistant starter to be transported by ambulance and for another ambulance to come onto the course to chase the field. The sun was setting by the time the race went off at 5:48 p.m. local time.

Additionally, Chaney pointed out, the current climate with regard to animal welfare probably had veterinarians and officials eager to take every precaution to prevent any kind of equine injury.

“This might be an example of trying too hard,” said Chaney at a press conference Friday night.

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