Conduit (near) pegs back Presious Passion for back-to-back Turf victories
PICTURE: Edward Whitaker/racingpostpix.comConduit reels in Passion for successive Turf wins
Report: USA, Saturday
Santa Anita: Emirates Airline Breeders' Cup Turf (Grade 1) 1m4f
CONDUIT repeated last year's Breeders' Cup Turf success with a battling defeat of pacesetter PresiousPassion, who kept on with great gameness.
It was no surprise that Presious Passion, ridden by Elvis Trujillo, was allowed to bowl along at a pace of his own choosing, a style of racing that has shown the six year-old in the form of his life this year, but Ryan Moore had to ask for a major effort from his willing mount to get the better of the hare, who beat off the apparently classier Europeans, Spanish Moon, Dar Re Mi and Red Rocks.
Running down the back straight, Moore moved Conduit a little closer to Presious Passion, aware that front-runners have been performing well at the meeting.
Rounding the turn, Moore made his challenge, bumping Dar Re Mi slightly, and reeled in Presious Passion close home.
Moore, who also rode Conduit last year, said: "Everyone kept telling me you need to save ground round here and I didn't want to get beat going wide. Early on, my lad wasn't fast away and I was behind Red Rocks and Telling and they're not the type of horses you want to be tracking so I used some petrol.
Ryan Moore: high praise for horse
PICTURE: Edward Whitaker/racingpostpix.com"To be fair to the horse, he's very game. He's a great horse - a once in a lifetime horse. I think he goesto Japan now."
Winning trainer Sir Michael Stoute said: "It is always a big day, the World Championship, and a very important day. To see him win again was very pleasing, and we were also pleased with Spanish Moon."
Spanish Moon finished fourth, just behind Dar Re Mi.
Laura Weinstock, representative of Conduit's owner, Ballymacoll Stud, said: "It would appear to be his time of year, he feels comfortable in it and comes into his own. It was like that last year."
Dar Re Mi recovered from her bump to run on for third under Frankie Dettori for trainer John Gosden.
Dettori said: "I was very pleased with her run. Conduit beat her a length in the Arc and about the same today. He just had more cruising speed and more of a kick than my filly."
Frankie Dettori: pleased with run
PICTURE: Edward Whitaker/racingpostpix.comTeddy Grimthorpe, racing manager to Spanish Moon's owner Khalid Abdullah, said: "He ran well and there are no complaints. He had every chance. He toughed it out and stayed on."
Conduit will be retired to Shigeyuki Okada's stud in Japan. Okada said: "I am very lucky. This horse has very good quality muscles, which is why I wanted to buy him. We are now hoping to see him run one last time in the Japan Cup but we will leave it upto Mr Stoute."
Conduit's victory was the sixth for European horses at this year's Breeders' Cup, an all-time record.
