Turf winner Kalanisi with his trainer Sir Michael Stoute.

Breeders' Cup Turf

Dateline: 11/04/00

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The 2000 Breeders' Cup Turf was supposed to be Montjeu's farewell party. However, nearing the end of his career it appeared that his better days were well behind him and in this event he had to face Kalanisi, the Aga Khan-owned colt who defeated him in the Dubai Champion Stakes 3.20-1 favorite, with Kalanisi the third choice at about 9-2. Among the local representatives was John's Call, a 9-year-old gelding and former steeplechaser, who won the Turf Classic at Belmont Park as his final prep.

Aly's Alley loose on the lead with Mutamam, Quiet Resolve, and John's Call in pursuit.

Kalanisi rallies for the win on the outside with John's Call, Quiet Resolve, and Mutamam (left to right) separated by noses on his inside.

The favorite Montjeu was never a factor. He trailed the field by as much as eleven lengths and gain some ground in the stretch but finished a disappointing seventh 4 1/2 lengths back.

Pgm  Horse              Jockey            Win   Place  Show
 1   Kalanisi           Murtagh         11.20    7.20  4.60
11   Quiet Resolve      Sellers                 28.00 13.00
10   John's Call        Samyn                          6.20

Winning Time:  2:26.96

$2 Exacta 1-11              416.40
$2 Trifecta 1-11-10       5,871.00
$1 Superfecta 1-11-10-9  99,813.00

Kalanisi winning on the outside. His jockey Johnny Murtagh said: "The stretch run was good. He was trapped down on the inside but when I took him to the outside for the straight, he kept his head down and just got there. When you're on good horses, things seem to go right."

Kalanisi parades with his flowers before going to the winner's circle.

Kalanisi and his trainer Sir Michael Stoute in the winner's circle. He said: "He never got the credit he deserved. He is a good horse, he has run other distances, and I was confident the trip would suit him. He was a little further back than we wanted, but when he pulled out he really quickened."

Eventual winner Kalanisi in the post parade.

Second place finisher Quiet Resolve in the post parade. His jockey Shane Sellers said: "I thought we were home free. He's been a mile and a half only once and he was on the lead that day (in the Niagara Breeders' Cup at Woodbine). He has tactical speed and they were going 50 (seconds) and I was sitting right off of them. It was a big effort.

Third place finisher John's Call in the post parade. His trainer Tom Voss said: "He ran great. He was pinned in a little, and when he finally got out he ran his race. Maybe he should have been a little closer with the slow pace. He always runs his race. That's why we brought him here. We got our (supplement) money back. Jockey Jean-Luc Samyn added, "What a great race he ran. It was just like a dream. I've never ridden in a race like this before."

Favorite Montjeu who bypassed the post parade and galloped on over to the backside to warm up. His trainer John Hammond said: "Unfortunately it was a very slow pace. We were always going to be in trouble. He's won a lot of good races from off the pace but when you're in that position it all depends on what is happening up front." Jockey Mick Kinane added, "The lack of pace certainly didn't help at all. He picked up the bit turning for home but was left with too much to do. The lack of pace made things difficult."

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All photos by Cindy Pierson and Terence Dulay. Logo courtesy of Breeders' Cup Limited.

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