Stopchargingmaria wins Breeders' Cup Distaff

Stopchargingmaria held off Stellar Wind to triumph in the Distaff and give trainer Todd Pletcher two winners on the opening day of the Breeders' Cup at Keeneland in Kentucky.

The victory withstood a stewards' review, after Stellar Wind jockey Victor Espinoza complained Stopchargingmaria obstructed his mount as she drifted toward the outside in the finishing straight.

"I think it cost me the race," said Espinoza, the jockey who piloted American Pharoah to the first Triple Crown sweep in 37 years and will ride the star colt in the $5 million Breeders' Cup Classic on Saturday.

"If he ran straight, I could have won the race."

But after officials reviewed the video, the victory by a neck stood, with Curalina third in the $2 million, 1 1/8-mile race that capped the action on the opening day of the 13-race, $26 million extravaganza.

Pletcher acknowledged that his four-year-old filly drifted out, but didn't think it altered the outcome.

"In a race like this, you've got to look at it," he said. "You’re concerned anytime there is an inquiry or an objection, but I felt pretty comfortable watching the head-on that we were going to be OK."

Added jockey Javier Castellano: "You always get scared when this happens because it's such a big race ... but I did nothing wrong. My horse ran a great race and I kept a straight path and was keeping the horse straight."

Pletcher and Castellano swept both of the day's races on the dirt track at Keeneland, which is hosting the Breeders' Cup for the first time.

Liam's Map, held out of the Classic in favor of the $1 million Dirt Mile, didn't disappoint despite a tough trip under Castellano.

Known as a front-runner, Liam's Map broke slowly and was trapped in traffic before rallying from fourth to roar past Lea in the finishing straight.

"What was so impressive is that he recovered a couple times," Pletcher said. "He got steadied about the five-eighths pole and didn’t have anywhere to go.

"But every time Javier had to tap on the brakes a little bit you could see Liam’s Map jump back into the bridle. I kept hoping."

- Strong start for Europe -

A strong European contingent got out of the blocks early as the Aidan O'Brien-trained Hit It a Bomb closed from the back of a 15-horse field to win the Juvenile Turf, first race of the festival.

Jockey Ryan Moore's masterful ride saw the colt overcome an unfavorable 14th post position as well as a distraction at the start.

"We didn't get away very well because unfortunately as the gate opened the handler was still getting down and catching this fellow's eye.

"We gave away half a length there which we didn't need to do."

With his mount struggling to handle the rain-softened turf course, Moore stayed patient, threading through the field and storming to the narrow victory over the last quarter-mile -- overhauling Airoforce and the Richard Fahey-trained Birchwood who had overtaken the fading front-runner Manhattan Dan.

In his third start, the Kentucky-bred Hit It A Bomb improved his perfect record under three-time former British champion Moore by a neck over Airoforce, with Birchwood third.

"Obviously Ryan gave him a super ride," O'Brien said of the jockey who nabbed his third Juvenile Turf win and his seventh Breeders Cup success.

O'Brien and Moore couldn't pull it off again in the $1 million Juvenile Fillies Turf, where Catch a Glimpse gave US trainer Mark Casse a first career Breeders' Cup win.

Casse was 0-for 25 in prior Breeders' Cup starts, but Catch a Glimpse, with US-based French jockey Florent Geroux in the irons, pressed the pace and held on for the victory three-quarters of a length clear of the O'Brien-trained 5-2 favorite Alice Springs.

Nemoralia, trained by Jeremy Noseda and ridden by Joel Rosario, was third.
Source: AFP