Dunlop pays tribute to Fallon after Ouija Board win

Having been the subject of so much of the attention in the build-up to the racing, Ouija Board gave a superb display to end the season on a brilliant high with a Breeders' Cup victory in the Filly & Mare Turf.

It was far from plain sailing for Ouija Board on ground that was unsuitably slow, a track that was unsuitably sharp, and an early pace which was more Sunday League than the World Thoroughbred Championships.

But with Fallon asking the Ed Dunlop-trained dual Oaks heroine to accelerate around the final bend, they struck for home with a furlong to run and stayed on strongly to beat outsider Film Maker by a length and a half.

The win proved popular for the majority of the crowd of 53,717, with Ouija Board returned a strongly-supported 9-10 chance on the pari-mutuel.

The effects of Ouija Board’s gritty third in the Arc de Triomphe four weeks ago were probably starting to show in the final stages as she drifted right close home.

As such, she is almost certain to bypass her remaining possible engagement this year – a trip to Japan.

“She has been nominated for the Japan Cup but I would think that I would probably get voted against on that one, even if I did want to go,” Dunlop said. “It is still an option though. We didn’t know about the ground today. I asked Kieren before the race and he said that some people were saying it was good and others that it was much softer.

“But whatever it was she handled it well and it gives us a lot more options for next year. I’m not really going to start thinking about next season but I’m looking forward to training her and I imagine we will target the Summer Triple Crown races, if it still exists.

“We were lucky with the draw today. If we’d been further wide than five we might not have been able to get the position on the rails. But Kieren found the right spot and gave her a fantastic ride.”

Fallon, who said that he was pleased to be able get such a prominent pitch behind a slow pace, paid tribute to the winner.

“I have always rated her since the first time I sat on her in the spring,” he said. “Most great fillies have got plenty of speed or stamina, but this one has got both. She has a real turn of foot.

“The draw helped me win as I was where I like to be – in the box seat. I knew where I wanted to be and she did the rest."

Thirty-five minutes later, it was the turn of Noseda and Fallon's championship rival Dettori to celebrate after Wilko beat the best of the American youngsters with a finely-timed challenge from off the pace.

Trained like Ouija Board in Newmarket, the decision to bring Wilko over here was taken more in hope than expectation.

Having been bought privately by Paul Reddam, this was always to be Wilko’s last race for Noseda before being transferred into the care of California-based Craig Dollase.

But even the most optimistic of punters would have been hard pressed to predict the victory of this colt, having his 11th run of the season and comfortably put in his place on several occasions by the best horses back home.

Dettori seemed genuinely and understandably stunned by events.

“Passing the quarter-pole I thought we might just be a good fourth but then they didn’t go anywhere in front and the dream came true,” he said.

“Jeremy asked me to ride him on a dirt surface in Newmarket last week and he handled it very well, but I don’t think any of us really expected this. But you know what they say – if you haven’t got the ticket, you can’t win!”

Noseda, who came into the race knowing that the horse was leaving his care, said that he was delighted to end a difficult year on such a high note.

“I knew that my job was done and I’m just delighted for today,” he said. “I’m sure he has got a good career ahead of him because he’s a tough horse.

“I first discussed this race with Mr Reddam a couple of months ago and I said that he was a tough horse, who knows the game, and being by Awesome Again he was bred to go on the dirt.

“I never in my wildest dreams expected to win but he had the experience to make it worth giving it a go.”

The waywardness of Antonius Pius and a troubled passage for Six Perfections had earlier cost the European team dearly as Singletary hung on grimly to land a dramatic Breeders’ Cup Mile.

David Flores rode a copybook race on the 16-1 shot, who struck for home early in the short home straight and stole an advantage which proved crucial as the runner-up came home powerfully to get within three-quarters of a length.

However, the result could have been much different had Antonius Pius not hindered his chance by drifting badly left under a right-hand drive from Jamie Spencer.

Aidan O’Brien’s enigmatic Danzig colt left punters who had taken the 30-1 about him frustrated yet again, while Six Perfections ran her heart out in her bid to win this race for the second year running and would have pushed the principals close had she not been forced to check for several strides swinging for home.

O’Brien has spent a considerable amount of time defending his charge this season after a series of wayward displays have cost him victory.

“He has so much speed he could be a sprinter, but he has got a bit of a kink,” said the Ballydoyle trainer.

“He has immense ability and I still hope that it might be mental immaturity and that he can grow out of it but I don’t know if he will stay in training. Jamie said that if he rode him again, he wouldn’t have hit him and then he would have won but I’m not so sure about that.”

Spencer added: “Coming round the turn he was all over them and when I gave him a slap he took off but he just gets angry. He edged away from the stick and he really should have won it.

“It is softer out there than I thought it was going to be, pretty loose on top, but he handled it well.”

Six Perfections’ rider Jerry Bailey said: “I was happy where I was around the first turn and down the back she was travelling well and I thought we were within striking distance.

“But when I angled her out turning for home the hole was moving a little quicker than I could move and she lost a little momentum.”

Six Perfections will now be retired to stud and will visit Storm Cat for her first mating.

Meanwhile, Powerscourt finished only third in the Turf.

Rushed into the lead by Spencer down the back straight, having missed the break, the four-year-old swept around the turn in style but was a tired horse in the last 200 yards.

His mount hanging badly under pressure, Spencer was simply unable to keep Powerscourt going and he ran into both Better Talk Now and Kitten’s Joy as they swept past.

“I decided to try and utilise his stamina but at the end, he just got tired,” said a visibly-dejected Spencer.

Kitten’s Joy was without doubt an unlucky loser, having been hampered by both the winner and third, but Better Talk Now had travelled strongly throughout under Ramon Dominguez and was comfortably too strong at the finish as he went on to win by a length and three-quarters.

The Classic saw victory go to Ghostzapper, who turned in a fine front-running performance under Javier Castellano.

Despite questions over his stamina, Castellano rode him with no fear and winding the pace up from the front, pulled steadily clear of Roses In May, who had chased the winner for most of the way.

“I really liked the way he was training and the race went perfectly for him,” said trainer Bobby Frankel.

“This is a good horse – a really good horse. I wanted him to ride this horse like he was the best horse in the race and he did. And he was.”

Fancied runners definitely fared best for most of the afternoon and Sweet Catomine looked the real deal as she took the Juvenile Fillies with impressive ease.

Settled in midpack by Corey Nakatani, the daughter of Storm Cat accelerated off the bend to quickly put distance between her and the chasing pack.

And had Nakatani really wanted, the pairing could probably have won by more than the official three and three-quarter lengths winning margin they had over Balletto at the line.

Another well-backed favourite, Ashado, had got punters off to the best possible start on the day when taking the opening Distaff contest.

Always travelling sweetly under John Velazquez, the well-travelled winner found an opening between rivals off the home turn and burst clear with 200 yards to run.

Storm Flag Flying, the winner of the Juvenile Fillies contest two years ago, came out of the pack in pursuit of Ashado and a unique double.

But Velazquez’s mount had enough in hand to hold on by a length and a quarter and give trainer Todd Pletcher a first Breeders’ Cup winner.

Having come into the meeting with no winners from 12 runners at the Breeders’ Cup, Pletcher proceeded to complete a double along with Velazquez when Speightstown took the Sprint from Kela.