'She had them covered very quickly' - Ryan Moore impressed by Meditate

Friday: Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf, Keeneland

Aidan O'Brien enjoyed a first victory in the Juvenile Fillies Turf with Meditate running out an authoritative winner under Ryan Moore.

The 15-8 favourite travelled comfortably in midfield, and after being switched into the clear by Moore coming off the turn, the pair surged home to score from Pleasant Passage.

Moore was riding his tenth Breeders' Cup winner, while O'Brien celebrated his 14th victory at the meeting.

"She was always very comfortable," said Moore. "She has a lot of pace but there was a bit of speed beside me that went forward and I thought we'd just come back.

"I was following a filly I probably didn't want to be following but the pace was slow and that brought me far enough. She had them covered very quickly and the race was over a furlong and a half out – she had a lot left and was probably a level above all of them."

Meditate was cut to 6-1 (from 16) for next year's 1,000 Guineas by Betfair Sportsbook and Paddy Power after her comfortable success.

"We've given her every chance since Newmarket not to come here but she passed every test," said O'Brien. "We're delighted with the result, we always thought she was a high-class filly."

The Amy Murphy-trained Manhattan Jungle led the field into the straight before weakening in the closing stages, with the Richard Fahey-trained Midnight Mile finishing well for a never-nearer fourth.

"I thought she ran a cracker, she just didn't quite get the mile," said Murphy. "She just had a bit of a prick of her ears coming into the furlong pole."

Wayne Lordan was positive for the future about Fahey's Midnight Mile. He said: "It was the usual thing here in America, they jumped and went hard and I just didn't have the pace to go with them to the first bend.

"I got into a nice rhythm after that and she finished really well. She's a filly that will improve, mentally and physically, from two to three. She could be a good filly next year."

Pleasant Passage proved best of the rest for Shug McGaughey, while Cairo Consort was given an excellent ground-saving ride by Joel Rosario and clung on to third from a host of late finishers.

Forte downs Cave Rock in the Juvenile

Breeders' Cup Juvenile

Forte lowered the colours of short-price favourite Cave Rock to win the Juvenile for Todd Pletcher.

The Bob Baffert-trained Cave Rock went off at 4-9 but was pestered throughout from a prominent pitch and was unable to fend off Irad Ortiz Jr's late run on 5-1 shot Forte, who surged down the middle of the track to score.

"He had that two-turn experience and that paid off," said Pletcher. "He was professional and it definitely paid off coming here.

"You know when you get to Bob's [Baffert] horses that they're going to find something else. I thought we had him, but I was most happy when he finally went by."

Forte was installed as the 10-1 favourite for next year's Kentucky Derby with Coral following the win.

Wonder Wheel and Gaffalione strike for Casse

Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies

Wonder Wheel provided Tyler Gaffalione with his first Breeders' Cup winner in a dominant performance to win the Juvenile Fillies.

It was a straightforward success for the Mark Casse-trained two-year-old, who enjoyed a ground-saving trip under Gaffalione and quickly moved past Leave No Trace at the furlong pole.

Casse, whose most recent Breeders' Cup success prior to this year came with Shamrock Rose in the 2018 Filly and Mare Sprint, was celebrating his sixth winner at the meeting.

It was a second successive Grade 1 triumph for Wonder Wheel, who was a nose winner of the Alcibiades over course and distance in October.

"Things didn't really go as planned," said Gaffalione. "We wanted to be a bit more prominent and there was a lot of traffic into the first turn and I got pushed back.

"She settled nicely and I got into a nice rhythm. Spots kept opening up when I needed them and she did everything on her own. She's full of heart and a tremendous filly.

"This has become my home, I love coming here and it's amazing – this means the world to me."

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