Watch: Ryan Moore 'very happy' as Battleground takes second in Juvenile Turf

Battleground failed to emulate his star dam Found with a Breeders' Cup triumph as he got going too late in Friday's Juvenile Turf, with the Ballydoyle runner taking second behind Fire At Will.

A son of War Front, Battleground is bred to be smart as Found beat the mighty Golden Horn in the 2015 Turf before landing the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe the following year.

Her first foal Battleground had shown plenty of talent when winning the Chesham Stakes at Royal Ascot, but had been off since his smooth victory in the Vintage Stakes at Glorious Goodwood.

Ridden off the pace by Ryan Moore, the Aidan O'Brien-trained raider got going in the straight, but could not reel in the winner, who was representing trainer Mike Maker and jockey Ricardo Santana, earning a second emotional success at one of Flat racing's biggest fixtures.

"Thanks to Mike and the owner who gave me a great opportunity and thanks to God," said the rider, whose previous Breeders' Cup score came on Mitole in the Sprint last year.

His father Ricardo snr was paralysed from the waist down after a riding accident in 2007 and Santana added: "I can't believe it and I'm really blessed to be part of this. Everything I do is for my family, who are in my heart right now."

Maker had little doubt about using the Panamanian, who has ridden more than 1,000 winners Stateside since agent Ruben Munoz brought him to the US in 2009.

The trainer said: "We've had a good run of luck the last four or five months and Ricardo was available and was doing a great job for us – we felt he deserved a chance.

"To be honest, I thought the horse way overpriced. He's done nothing wrong and was very professional."

How the Europeans fared

O'Brien and Moore had teamed up four times to win the Juvenile Turf before, but Battleground's reverse did not dent Paddy Power's belief in the horse, who is 10-1 joint-favourite with the firm for next year's 2,000 Guineas and can be backed at 25-1 for the Derby.

He lost little in defeat and fared best of the European visitors, finishing in front of the Jesscia Harrington-trained Cadillac and Michael Bell's runner The Lir Jet, while there was little impact from Ralph Beckett pair New Mandate and Devilwala.

"My horse ran super," said Moore. "Very happy with him."

Harrington, whose name was made in jump racing but is now a potent force on the Flat, was also satisfied.

"Cadillac ran a great race," she said. "Shane [Foley] said he got into a bun fight early on which pushed him back to eighth and messed the race up for him. But I'm really pleased with his run and especially the way he stayed on to the line."

Juvenile Turf result

Read more from the Breeders' Cup:

'He's amazing' – Wesley Ward heaps praise on Turf Sprint winner Golden Pal

Soumillon misses Tarnawa Breeders' Cup ride after testing positive for Covid-19

'I came here thinking I could win them all!' – Bob Baffert joins What A Shout

Did you know you can bet with your online bookmaker without leaving the Racing Post app? Simply sign in to your existing bookmaker account via the accounts button and tap the odds buttons on a racecard to place bets