Jockey Ryan Moore seemingly conjured open space in the stretch of the $5 million Longines Breeders' Cup Turf, and Benvenuto Cellini surged late to claim victory in the Grade 1 1/2-mile centerpiece grass race of Breeders' Cup weekend at
Experience pays off, and that was the case Oct. 31 as Emphatic utilized her experience on the Keeneland main track to pull off a victory in the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies.
There have now been 43 runnings of the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile. For more than four decades, the race has showcased some dazzling 2-year-olds and crowned the division champion 34 times. But then, in the spring, when the Kentucky Derby rolls around on the first Saturday in May and precocious 2-year-olds turn into maturing 3-year-olds, the Juvenile winner is usually an afterthought.
Only two winners of the race (Street Sense in 2006 and Nyquist in 2015) have been able to win the Juvenile and then the Kentucky Derby.
The Longines Breeders’ Cup Turf is a key race in determining the Eclipse Award for champion older turf male each year and it’s often one of the best betting races on the Championship Saturday card. The Grade 1 Turf has been won by some of the best international turf horses of the modern era since its inaugural running as part of the first Breeders’ Cup at Hollywood Park in 1984.
