Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint

They came over nose to tail, innocent as lambs, oblivious of the adventure in store, numbering eight fillies, three colts, and a lonely gelding. Most of them were strangers in a strange land, although nothing would be quite so bizarre as the task ahead: a breathless 5 1/2 furlongs on firm Kentucky ground interrupted halfway through by a 180-degree switchback guaranteed to test their competitive resolve. Plus, Paco Lopez.

As usual, the running of the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint provided plenty of thrills — and thankfully no spills — to kick off the two-day festival. As it turned out, though, the real drama took place earlier in the Keeneland jockeys’ room, where British champion and bona fide phenom Billy Loughnane was desperately sweating off the last few ounces to make the prescribed 119 pounds in order to ride the filly Libertango.

Flavien Prat was waiting in the wings for trainer George Boughey, ready to step in aboard Libertango if Loughnane had to bow out. But he made it, much to the delight of his legion of fans back home and his expat followers in the local crowd, and Libertango, a nimble daughter of No Nay Never, responded with a display of class and balletic dexterity to seize the race in the final sixteenth of a mile to win by 1 1/4 lengths in 1:02.64.

The Irish filly Velozee stood dazed when the gates opened and let the others scoot away, none faster than the globe-trotting Ruiva. Juan Hernandez tried to ration her speed as best he could, and the chestnut took the field into the far turn with an opening quarter of :21.49. By then, however, the pack was closing in, led by Lopez on Harper’s Corner, winner of the Schuylerville Stakes at Saratoga Race Course.

Only problem was, Lopez, he of the multiple riding suspensions, had come over on Oisin Murphy and his filly Moonrise, so badly that she stumbled enough to cause the trailing Libertango and others to take up.

“It was a very bad bit of riding by Paco,” Murphy said. “Not what you’d expect to see at this level.”

The stewards agreed. Harper’s Corner went on to take a brief lead in the stretch, only to be caught by both Libertango and the 50-1 Hell of A Spin. Lopez and his filly were disqualified and placed eighth, behind the offended Moonrise.

As for Loughnane, he had nothing but praise for his filly and made sure everyone knew it. Returning to the winner’s circle, the 20-year-old rider encouraged the crowd to a wave of cheers, then later reflected on what it meant to be able to retain the ride on such a special day.

“She had a good gate, and I wanted to get on the back of Moonrise, thinking she’d carry me into the race,” Loughnane said. “It got tight there on Oisin — I didn’t see exactly what happened — but it broke the race up a little and I lost about a length. But then she cornered fantastically, which I had every faith she would, and went on with it in the straight.”—Jay Hovdey