ARCADIA, Calif. (AP) — The Latest on the Breeders’ Cup at Santa Anita (all times local):
5:55 p.m.
Vino Rosso has won the $6 million Classic by 4 1/4 lengths at the Breeders’ Cup, where a long-shot horse was eased up in the stretch with a leg injury.
Mongolian Groom, a 15-1 shot, was part of the early pace in the 1 1/4-mile race that capped the two-day world championships at Santa Anita on Saturday night. But jockey Abel Cedillo appeared to pull up the 4-year-old gelding near the eighth-pole as the rest of the field charged toward the finish line.
Santa Anita has been the site of 36 horse deaths since December.
A green screen was rushed onto the track to block the view of Mongolian Groom, who was loaded onto a horse ambulance and taken away. An on-call veterinarian says he sustained a left hind leg injury, but there were no further details.
It was the only injury in the 14 Cup races.
Vino Rosso went off at 9-2 odds for trainer Todd Pletcher, who won his first Classic.
McKinzie, the 5-2 favorite, finished second for trainer Bob Baffert.
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5:05 p.m.
Bricks and Mortar has won the $4 million Breeders’ Cup Turf to complete a perfect season and move solidly into contention for Horse of the Year honors.
Bottled up in traffic for most of the race, Bricks and Mortar shook loose at the top of the stretch to launch a relentless rally down the center of the track. He beat 50-1 shot United by a head.
Bricks and Mortar is 6 for 6 this season and has won seven straight dating to last year.
The victory was the third in this Breeders’ Cup for trainer Chad Brown and jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. Brown tied Bob Baffert for second in Cup wins with 15, five behind all-time leader D. Wayne Lukas.
Bricks and Mortar paid $4 to win as the even-money favorite. The time was 2:24.73 for 1½ miles.
Ireland-bred Anthony Van Dyck was third.
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4:25 p.m.
Blue Prize rallied from second-to-last on the backstretch to win the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Distaff by 1½ lengths.
She upset even-money favorite Midnight Bisou, who lost for the first time in eight races this year. A victory would have put Midnight Bisou into the discussion for Horse of the Year honors; instead she finished second under Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith.
Blue Prize paid $19.80 to win at 8-1 odds.
The 6-year-old mare bred in Argentina — the oldest runner in the race — ran 1 1/8 miles in 1:50.50. Blue Prize is trained by Ignacio Correas IV, an Argentine who won his first Cup race, and ridden by Joe Bravo, who snapped a 0-for-20 skid in the event.
Serengeti Empress was third.
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3:55 p.m.
Uni has won the $2 million Mile on the turf, giving trainer Chad Brown and jockey Joel Rosario their second victories in this year’s Breeders’ Cup.
It was a strong showing for the fillies as they finished 1-2 against the boys, with Uni beating 3-1 favorite Get Stormy by 1¼ lengths. Without Parole was third.
With the victory, Uni might have wrested the distaff turf championship from Sistercharlie, who earlier ran third in the Filly & Mare Turf. It capped an excellent season for Uni, who had three wins in four starts.
Brown continues to climb the all-time Breeders’ Cup trainer standings with 14 wins, one behind second-place Bob Baffert. D. Wayne Lukas is the leader with 20.
Uni paid $9.20 to win as the 7-2 second choice. She ran the distance in 1:32.45.
Colorado Avalanche defenseman Erik Johnson earned a piece of the purse money when Bowies Hero finished fifth. He co-owns the 5-year-old horse with several partners.
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2:55 p.m.
Mitole closed out his racing career in style, winning the $2 million Sprint at the Breeders’ Cup.
The 4-year-old colt defeated 3-2 favorite Shancelot by 1¼ lengths at Santa Anita on Saturday, giving Mitole his sixth victory in seven starts this year. He’ll stand at stud next year.
Trainer Steve Asmussen earned his seventh career Cup win; it was the first for jockey Ricardo Santana Jr.
Mitole paid $5.60 to win at 9-5 odds. The colt ran six furlongs in 1:09.00 coming off a two-month layoff.
Whitmore finished third.
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2:30 p.m.
Iridessa has won the $2 million Filly & Mare Turf, giving Europe its first victory in this year’s Breeders’ Cup.
Iridessa and jockey Wayne Lordan continued the string of upsets by edging Vasilika by a neck at 13-1 odds.
It was a record-setting win for trainer Joseph O’Brien, too.
He joins Freddie Head as the only person to train and ride a Breeders’ Cup winner. O’Brien guided Nicholas Abbey to victory in the 2011 Turf during his riding days.
At 26, O’Brien also becomes the youngest trainer to win a Cup race. He beat his father, Irish trainer Aidan O’Brien, in the race. The elder O’Brien saddled Just Wonderful to a fifth-place finish after his other entry, Fleeting, was scratched by the veterinarians.
After Mirth opened a huge early lead, Ireland-bred Iridessa made a bold late charge to capture her U.S. debut. Sistercharlie, the 4-5 favorite, got third, finishing 2 1/4 lengths behind the top two.
Iridessa paid $28.40 to win. The time was 1:57.77 for the 1¼ miles.
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1:30 p.m.
There’s been another upset at the Breeders’ Cup.
Spun to Run won the $1 million Dirt Mile at 9-1 odds, upsetting even-money favorite Omaha Beach.
Irad Ortiz Jr. guided Spun to Run down the middle of the track to a 2 3/4-length victory. The 3-year-old colt paid $20.20 to win.
Omaha Beach was this year’s Kentucky Derby favorite that was forced to scratch days before the race day.
Blue Chipper, the first South Korea-based horse to run in the Breeders’ Cup, finished third.
Trainer Juan Carlos Guerrero earned his first Cup win with just his second starter. Ortiz Jr. won the Juvenile Turf Sprint with Four Wheel Drive on Friday.
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1 p.m.
Belvoir Bay has won the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint in a 14-1 upset.
Breaking from the outside post in the 12-horse field, Belvoir Bay led all the way with Javier Castellano aboard to win by 1¼ lengths. She was the only female horse running against males in the race.
Trainer Peter Miller enjoyed a 1-2 finish as Om edged Shekky Shebaz by a nose for second.
It was Castellano’s second Cup victory of the weekend. He won with British Idiom in the Juvenile Fillies on Friday.
Belvoir Bay also set a course record, running 54:83 seconds over five furlongs. She paid $31.60 to win.
Belvoir Bay improved her turf record at Santa Anita to 7 for 10.
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12:10 p.m.
Covfefe has won the $1 million Filly & Mare Sprint to kick off Day 2 of the Breeders’ Cup.
The 3-year-old filly broke poorly but rallied under Joel Rosario to win by three-quarters of a length.
Sent off as the 3-2 favorite with a late surge of money by bettors, Covfefe paid $5 to win. She ran seven furlongs in 1:22.40.
Bellafina was second and Dawn the Destroyer took third.
It was the second Cup victory of the weekend for trainer Brad Cox, who won the $1 million Juvenile Fillies with British Idiom on Friday.
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11:50 a.m.
Counter protesters are outside Santa Anita carrying signs urging the end of horse racing in California.
“You bet they die” read one hand-lettered sign.
Animal rights activists have protested on and off in recent months as a result of 36 horse deaths at Santa Anita, which implemented informs involving medication and training.
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11:30 a.m.
Four horses have been scratched from Breeders’ Cup races Saturday after pre-race examinations by veterinarians.
Suedois is out of the $2 million Mile after developing a minor infection in his hoof. Fleeting was scratched from the $2 million Filly & Mare Turf. Both horses were found to be slightly lame.
Imperial Hint won’t run in the $2 million Sprint because of a blister in his left front hoof. Trainer Luis Carvajal Jr. says it’s unfortunate but he’ll respect the decision of the vets.
Bolo also was scratched from the Mile.
The scratches left jockey Javier Castellano without mounts in the Sprint and the Mile.
With Fleeting out, Ryan Moore switched to riding Just Wonderful in the Filly & Mare Turf.
The Breeders’ Cup added 20 vets during the two-day event to the 14 already on hand during the week to keep a closer eye on the horses’ health and safety.
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11:15 a.m.
Dennis’ Moment was in good condition Saturday after stumbling badly at the start of the $2 million Juvenile a day earlier.
The colt finished last as the favorite in Friday’s race. He went to his knees under jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. coming out of the starting gate and wasn’t able to recover, trailing the field throughout the race.
Trainer Dale Romans says Dennis’ Moment came back healthy and is heading back to his barn in Kentucky, where he’ll be examined again.
Romans says he just wanted the colt to have a fair chance in the race that typically tabs the winner as the winter book favorite for next year’s Kentucky Derby. Storm the Court, a 45-1 shot, staged the biggest upset victory in Juvenile history.
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10:55 a.m.
Workers touting benefits the horse racing industry brings to California are rallying outside Santa Anita ahead of the Breeders’ Cup.
Day 2 of the world championships is Saturday, with nine Cup races on the card culminating in the $6 million Classic airing in prime time on NBC.
Industry workers toted signs proclaiming their love of horses and urging support to protect their jobs outside two gates at the track in Arcadia, California. Passing cars honked in support. There was no sign of counter protesters who have urged the end of the sport in California after 36 horses died at Santa Anita since December.
Inside the track, four horses were scratched by veterinarians conducting pre-race exams.
There were no injuries during Friday’s 10-race card on Day 1 of the season-ending championships.
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