Santa Anita tactical twists confirm Dettori a master of his craft

One unmistakable tenet stood out from a hypnotic renewal of the Breeders’ Cup last weekend. Superior jockeyship makes an enormous difference to the outcome of championship races in the US – particularly at a super-tight circuit like Santa Anita.

Time and again, hot favourites who were drawn high found themselves at the mercy of circumstances beyond their control. Most jockeys who went forward from the gate were trapped wide around both turns, in the process forfeiting ground that proved impossible to retrieve down the short home straight.

Meanwhile, those choosing to take their medicine by reining back and tacking over found themselves compromised beyond redemption by pedestrian early fractions. This, in a nutshell, was the unproductive story of Ryan Moore’s Breeders’ Cup experience. If there is one place where the leaders don’t come back to the field, it is Santa Anita.