Gstaad and Soumillon cruise to Juvenile Turf glory

Gstaad made light work of his wide draw and a slow start to record an emphatic win in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf at Del Mar, as Aidan O’Brien overtook the late D. Wayne Lukas as the all-time leading trainer at the Breeders’ Cup.

Winner of the Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot and runner-up in three Group Ones since, most recently the Dewhurst, the Starspangledbanner colt brought by far the strongest form into the Grade One contest and Christophe Soumillon’s mount had little trouble in picking up his rivals when asked by the Belgian ace.

Outfielder – who eventually finished last – and Hey Nay Nay set a strong pace up front, but Soumillon never panicked at any stage and after stealthily making up ground on the outside his mount put the race to bed in a matter of strides, moving O’Brien onto the 21-winner mark at the Breeders’ Cup.

He was also giving the master of Ballydoyle a record-extending eighth Juvenile Turf victory and a 26th at the top level this year, just two short of his own world record.