GSTAAD landed the odds in spectacular fashion at the Breeders’ Cup on a night that belonged to the O’Brien family.
The 6-5 favourite was drawn widest of all in stall 14 and was then sluggish out of the gates – but he still outclassed the Juvenile Turf field under a cool Christophe Soumillon at Del Mar.
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Christophe Soumillon steered Gstaad to an impressive win at Del MarCredit: AP
It was Aidan O’Brien’s 21st Breeders’ Cup winner, meaning he is now the outright leading trainer in the meeting’s history having previously been tied with the late, great D Wayne Lukas – and earlier in the night his youngest son, Donnacha had notched his first in the Juvenile Fillies’ Turf.
None of Aidan’s previous 20 will have been more thrilling than Gstaad’s success as he cruised up on the outside of runners turning for home before surging to the front impressively in the straight.
He was threatening to become a ‘nearly’ horse after a run of narrow defeats, but he finally enjoyed his day in the Californian sun, beating Stark Contrast by a length.
O’Brien said: “It’s unbelievable, I’m in such a privileged position and I’m so delighted for the lads, they’re the ones that make this happen.
“They don’t protect the horses’ value, they want to run them and they want to see them race.
“Christophe gave him a brilliant ride, he is an incredible fella. We’ve known him a long time and it’s great for him. We are very lucky to have him.”
Soumillon’s ride was a cracker, but Oisin Murphy’s was the best of the night as he gave Donnacha’s outsider Balantina a peach to bag the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies’ Turf at Del Mar.
The champion jockey scraped the paint virtually the entire way around and managed to nip through a gap at a crucial stage in the straight as she came home in front at 20-1.
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Balantina ran out a surprise winner at Del Mar under Oisin MurphyCredit: Reuters
Andrew Balding’s Pacific Mission, who raced from the outside stall 12, ran a cracker to finish a running-on second having been held up in rear by Colin Keane.
With red-hot favourite Precise scratched just hours before the race with an infection, the £850,000 Group 1 was thrown wide-open.
That said, it was still a bit of a stretch to think Balantina, who hadn’t really kicked on since a promising third at Royal Ascot in two subsequent runs, would be the one to take advantage.
But she was given a brilliant, ground-saving ride by Murphy, and he managed to angle around a beaten rival approaching the final furlong before she kicked away up the rail for a surprise win.
It a sport of split-second decisions, and around one of the tightest tracks in the world, he nailed it.
Murphy said: “She’s incredibly athletic and she handled the track like it was made for her.
“It’s a bit surreal. If she hadn’t run in Ireland last time, she would have been fancied today because her first three runs were excellent.
“It’s really good. That’s my seventh group win of the year, and a lot have been on bigger priced horses. That’s what you work really hard towards.”
The result means the O’Brien set is now complete, with Donnacha joining brother Joseph and (of course) dad Aidan in saddling a winner at the Breeders’ Cup.
He grinned: “It feels incredible. We’ve been coming here a long time, since we were babies, really. To watch Dad do it year in and year out, and Joseph to get winners. It’s very nice to be on the board.”
The night got off to a slow start for the European raiders as US-trained Cy Fair bagged the Juvenile Turf Sprint.
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Both the Aidan O’Brien runners, True Love and Brussels, were slowly away and the George Weaver-trained filly was able to slip them with an impressive turn of foot at the top of the straight.
To his credit, Brussels stuck on well to finish second, just ahead of James Owen’s Aspect Island in third.
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