The China Mail - Sun Goddess wins at Breeders' Cup, O'Brien leads Baffert

The two wins at Keeneland, in Lexington, Kentucky, took O'Brien's tally of Breeders' Cup victories to 23 -- one more than Baffert, whose Hughes won the $2 million Juvenile to be stamped the early favorite for next year's Kentucky Derby.

The 14-race, $34 million Breeders' Cup extravaganza kicked off with five races for two-year-olds.

"Future Stars Friday" was the curtain-raiser for Saturday's nine-race slate, capped by the $7 million Classic -- in which Forever Young will vie to join Tiznow as the only repeat winners after giving Japan a first Classic champion at Del Mar last year.

Ireland's O'Brien and American Baffert arrived at Keeneland with 21 Breeders' Cup wins apiece.

Sun Goddess gave O'Brien his 22nd with a dazzling three-length win in the $1 million Juvenile Fillies Turf.

The 4-5 favorite, ridden by Ryan Moore, stalked front-runner Seneca Park, moving on the leader as they turned for home and exploding down the stretch to finish ahead of Green Empress.

"She's a special filly," O'Brien said after Sun Goddess notched a sixth straight victory in her first effort over a mile.

"She's better ridden back and coming at horses, because when she gets to the front she doesn't do much. But today she was just totally dominant, wasn't she?"

No sooner had O'Brien moved atop the trainers' table than Baffert rejoined him as 4-5 favorite Hughes, ridden by Flavien Prat, held off the challenges of Coach Pope and American History to win the Juvenile by 2 1/4 lengths.

"He'd never been battle tested, and you never know how they are going to respond," Baffert said of the colt that completed a perfect two-year-old campaign. "At the quarter pole I said 'We're going to find out what he's made of.'"

The last race of the day saw Haffner, ridden by Moore, give O'Brien a fifth straight -- and ninth overall -- victory in the Juvenile Turf.

Moore settled on the rail early and overtook front-runner Avec Toi in the final furlong.

- 'Great racing brain' -

The action opened with Libertango's storming victory in the Juvenile Turf Sprint.

Billy Loughnane, who at 20 became the youngest rider in more than a century to be crowned champion jockey in Britain this month, overcame some trouble three furlongs out, powering through with a final-furlong charge to win by 1 1/4 lengths.

"She's got such a great racing brain, and she hit the line fantastic," he said of the filly that gave trainer George Boughey a first Breeders' Cup win.

Loughnane had been slated to be replaced aboard Libertango by Prat but secured the ride at the last minute after making the assigned weight.

"A big thanks to George for keeping faith in me and putting me back on," he said.

Emphatic lived up to her favorite's status with a dominant victory in the $2 million Juvenile Fillies, giving Irish trainer Brendan Walsh a first Breeders' Cup victory in his 14th attempt.

O.Yip--ThChM