The $3 million John Deere Breeders' Cup Turf saw a compact field of just 8 travel the marathon distance of 1 1/2 miles over the soft turf course. Fri Guy set the early pace while being stalked by Shamdinan and English Channel. With 1/4 mile left to run, jockey John Velazquez asked English Channel for run and got it, as English Channel took the lead and never looked back, drawing off to a 7 length win in 2:36.96. Shamdinan finished second while defending champion Red Rocks was third. Heavy favorite Dylan Thomas did not like the soft going and failed to show his usual late rally, finishing fifth.
Winning trainer Todd Pletcher said, "He delivered big-time
today. That was a big performance. He dominated some really good
horses. I was concerned (about the course). Obviously, it
was extremely soft, but he ran an unbelievable race."
Jockey John Velazquez added, "We got the perfect
trip. Our plan was to save ground and wait as long as possible before
we made our move. Everything was perfect. Last year (in the Breeders'
Cup), we had an outside post and he never relaxed. This year, he's
older and he has learned to relax. That was the key today."
Results chart
