US-bred but Japanese owned and trained Casino Drive was aimed at major North American races this year, but finished with no major titles, after he pulled up last in the 12 horse field in the USD $5m Breeders' Cup Classic yesterday.
In an unexpected move, Casino Drive set the pace in the 1 1/4 mile Classic after Victor Espinoza took him to the lead straight after the break. The pace was quick, and when the challenges came heading for home, Casino Drive found nothing, tiring badly and finishing 6 1/4 lengths behind the 2nd last horse.
The race was won by the 3yo Raven's Pass, ridden by Frankie Dettori, who beat 2nd placegetter Henrythenavigator by 1 3/4 lengths in a new track record time of 1:59.27. Tiago grabbed 3rd place ahead of the hot favorite Curlin, who finished 4th. With the victory of Raven's Pass, both jockey Dettori and trainer John Gosden won their first Breeders' Cup Classic, and it was only the second time that a horse trained outside the US has won the race.
Mr. Kazuo Fujisawa, trainer of Casino Drive, said after the race that leading was something he never imagined. "The horse always races from behind, and that was the plan before the race. Even in the lead the horse seemed to be traveling well, but it was just too fast. The horse running second in the middle stages also found nothing when the swoopers came".
He added that the horse pulled up tired but well and is likely to be flown back to Japan on the 1st November, and will be spelled for the rest of the year.
* Please visit the following websites for more information.
Breeders' Cup website: http://www.breederscup.com/
Santa Anita Park racecourse: http://www.santaanita.com/
© Japan Association for International Racing and Stud Book (JAIRS). All Rights Reserved.
