It wasn’t a theft. Highland Reel just ran away with the $4 million Breeders’ Cup Turf.
It wasn’t a theft. Highland Reel just ran away with the $4 million Breeders’ Cup Turf.
Under the guidance of Seamus Heffernan, the 4-year-old Galileo colt set stiff fractions in the 1 1/2-mile race, opened up a daylight lead in the backstretch and was never threatened late by second-place finisher and favorite Flintshire en route to a 1 3/4-length score.
The Aidan O’Brien trainee, owned by Coolmore connections, ran the first quarter-mile in :24.83, hit the half-mile in :48 flat, covered six furlongs in 1:12.70 and a mile in 1:36.16, then held off the best efforts of Flintshire to cross the finish line in 2:23 flat. Stablemate Found, who defeated Highland Reel last time out in the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (Fr-I), checked in third, another 2 1/4 lengths back.
Along with two Group 1 scores internationally, Highland Reel is now undefeated in two starts on U.S. soil following his score in the 2015 Secretariat Stakes at Arlington International Racecourse.—Jeremy Balan