The Hindu : Sport / Racing : Horse : Invasor wins Breeders Cup Classic

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Monday, Nov 06, 2006
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Sport - Racing : Horse

Invasor wins Breeders Cup Classic

Anil Mukhi

Louisville (Kentucky ): There are numerous racing carnivals the world over, such as Royal Ascot and the "Arc" weekend, but for the sheer magnitude of racing class assembled at one venue during a single afternoon, the Breeders Cup reigns supreme.

The event consists of eight richly endowed races, all of Grade 1 calibre, and is contested at different venues in the U.S. by rotation. The latest edition took place on Saturday at the historic Churchill Downs.

All season long, Sheikh Mohammed's Bernardini has been racking up facile victories in the U.S. The hot favourite for the Breeders Cup Classic, he found the Argentine-bred sensation Invasor, owned by Sheikh Hamdan, too good here.

The latter, who cut down Bernardini close home, remains unbeaten in nine starts in the Americas; his only defeat having come ironically in Dubai last March.

Invasor was sent out by Kiaran McLaughlin and ridden by Fernando Jara.

Earlier, McLaughlin had suffered a crushing defeat when his sensational sprint star Henny Hughes flopped miserably in the Breeders Cup Sprint. The gorgeous chestnut did not seem to handle the track.

The event fell to the California-bred Thor's Echo, with jockey Corey Nakatani sporting the Superman silks of the owners. Doug O'Neill was the trainer of the long shot who came home by 4 lengths at 15-1.

Contrasting styles

The two juvenile races were won in contrasting styles. In the fillies' event, the well-fancied Dreaming of Anna led every step of the way, putting away Octave when challenged midway in the straight. She gave jockey Rene Douglas his first Breeders Cup success.

It was a fine 78th birthday present for owner Frank Calabrese, who entrusted his homebred to trainer Wayne Catalano. In the colts' version, Street Sense sat "chilly" at the tail, got a fortuitous opening on the rail as they straightened up, and drew away to a 10-length victory.

Not surprisingly, trainer Carl Nafzger and rider Calvin Borel are looking ahead to the next year's Kentucky Derby on the same track when all being well his ward should break the jinx attending winners of this race.

The first of the three turf events, the Filly & Mare Turf, was won for the second time by that gallant mare Ouija Board.

Trained for Lord Derby by Ed Dunlop, she was piloted with supreme confidence by Frankie Dettori.

Her adventurous trainer has campaigned her all over the globe and has $5.7 million in her owner's account to show for it.

A couple of hours later Dettori completed a double, annexing the Breeders Cup Turf over 12 furlongs with the Brian Meehan-trained Red Rocks. Previous winner Better Talk Now challenged strongly in the closing stages, but the Irish-bred son of Galileo held on to take $1.6 million winner's prize.

In between, former $50,000 claimer, Miesque's Approval headed home an American-trained 1-2-3 in the Netjets Breeders Cup Mile coming from way behind with a furious late charge, he won running away from Aragorn, with most of the much-fancied European runners gracing the tail-end.

First win

He provided the first Breeders' Cup win to his connections, owners Live Oak Plantation, handler Marty Wolfson and rider, Eduardo Castro.

Tragedy

Tragedy attended the afternoon as well, when Pine Island dislocated her near fore ankle after traversing just three furlongs of the Distaff and had to be put down.

Four furlongs later, joint favourite Fleet Indian ruptured a suspensory ligament, leaving the way clear for Round Pond to resume her winning ways.

The beneficiaries of these mishaps were trainer Michael Matz and rider Edgar Prado the team associated with Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro, who had suffered a life-threatening injury in the Preakness Stakes.

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