ARCADIA, United States (AFP) - Uni won the Breeders' Cup Mile on Saturday as horses trained by Chad Brown finished first and third in the US$2 million race on the turf track at Santa Anita.
Brown, whose odds-on favourite Sistercharlie was denied in the Filly & Mare Turf, came through with five-year-old mare Uni, who swept wide on the turn for home under jockey Joel Rosario and powered to the front for a win by 1 1/2-lengths over four-year-old filly Got Stormy.
The female one-two came in a race that has seen fillies and mares shine in mixed company before, with Miesque winning two and Goldikova three Mile titles.
Brown's Without Parole, ridden by Irad Ortiz, was third with Aidan O'Brien's Circus Maximus who like Uni went off at 7-2 was fourth by a nose with Ryan Moore in the irons.
"We had a perfect trip," Rosario said. "The speed got away from me a little on the backstretch, but she was comfortable and in a good spot so I just sat still with her.
"I asked her at the three-eighths pole and she gave me a strong run.
"That’s when I knew we would win. But when we got alongside of (Got Stormy), she fought back a little. For a minute I thought oh-oh, because she’s a very nice filly who beat us this summer. But, my filly still had more left and we cleared her in the last 16th."
Got Stormy trainer Mark Casse said things "didn't go as planned" but he was proud of his filly and the ride of jockey Tyler Gaffalione.
In the stretch, Casse said "(Gaffalione) could hear Uni coming and he shot a little early, but she just beat us."
It was Brown's second victory of the two-day, US$28 million racing extravaganza, after a win for Structor in the Juvenile Turf on Friday.
Brown started the week with 12 career Breeders' Cup wins tied with O'Brien for third on the all-time trainers' list.
With 14 he's closing in on Bob Baffert's 15 on a list topped by the 20 of D Wayne Lukas.
