Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf

Irish training legend Aidan O’Brien, known as “The Master of Ballydoyle” and victorious in more than 400 Grade/Group 1 races, is now known for being the winningest trainer in Breeders’ Cup history.

On Oct. 31 on the first day of the two-day Breeders’ Cup at Del Mar, the 56-year-old trainer surpassed late Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas for Breeders’ Cup victories when Gstaad swooped to victory under Christophe Soumillon in the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf. The victory gave O’Brien a record 21st Breeders’ Cup triumph, breaking his 20-win tie with Lukas, with Gstaad authoritatively scoring by three-quarters of a length over the stakes-winning California runner Stark Contrast.

“He’s simply a superb trainer,” co-owner Michael Tabor said of O’Brien, whose first Breeders’ Cup winner came in 2001 with Johannesburg.

Backed to 6-5 favoritism despite breaking from the far outside post in a field of 14 2-year-olds, Gstaad — under a heady ride from Soumillon — made his wide draw and a tardy break seem inconsequential. Ninth after the opening quarter-mile, as Outfielder shot to the lead on a firm course under pressure from Hey Nay Nay , Gstaad made steady progress, moving to seventh after a half-mile in :46.52 and to fifth after six furlongs clocked by Hey Nay Nay in 1:11.45 as the field neared the end of the second turn.

“When I came into the straight, I knew it was game over,” Soumillon said.

It was. He took the lead by midstretch and maintained a clear advantage over runner-up Stark Contrast, who had to await running room nearing the stretch to commence a stalking bid under Kazushi Kimura. Gstaad crossed the finish line in a final time of 1:34.93. He paid $4.40 to win.

Stark Contrast, trained by Michael McCarthy, finished 2 1/4 lengths in front of show finisher North Coast, another European shipper, this one conditioned by O’Brien’s son Joseph.

The victory for Gstaad was worth $520,000 and increased his earnings to $993,157 with a record of three wins and three seconds in six starts. The Juvenile Turf gave him his first Grade 1 victory after three runner-up finishes in top company overseas in Europe.

“We thought he would have won a couple of Group 1s at this stage,” O’Brien said. “But things just didn’t work for him. Little things went against him.”

Gstaad’s victory continued dominance by European-trained runners. They have now captured the last five renewals of the Juvenile Turf and 13 of the race’s 19 total runnings. O’Brien, who trains for Coolmore and their affiliated owners of Derrick Smith, Susan Magnier, and Tabor, is responsible for eight of those victories, including the last four.

“Obviously everyone knows that we’re in just this unbelievably privileged position,” O’Brien said.

O’Brien, closing in on his own calendar-year record of 28 top-level stakes wins from 2017, can add to his haul of 26 Grade/Group 1 wins on the season with three horses in competition in Breeders’ Cup races Nov. 1 at Del Mar.

The win provided Soumillon, who retained the coveted riding position for O’Brien this summer when the stable’s regular rider Ryan Moore was sidelined due to injury, with his first Breeders’ Cup victory since he won the Breeders’ Cup Turf in 2005 aboard Shirocco.—Byron King