Saint Liam came through in the Breeders' Cup Classic and probably wrapped up US Horse of the Year honors at Belmont Park with a stirring victory in America's richest race on Saturday.
Taking the lead at the top of the stretch, Saint Liam held off the challenge of Flower Alley and gave Hall of Fame jockey Jerry Bailey his fifth win in the Classic and 15th victory in the Breeders' Cup.
Sent off as the 2-1 favorite in a field of 13, Saint Liam bided his time behind leaders Sun King and Suave until the field reached the far turn. And that's when Bailey sent the 5-year-old son of Saint Ballado four-wide to take command.
Saint Liam came into the US$4,680,000 Classic with three wins in five starts this year, including the Woodward at Belmont on Sept. 10. With previously unbeatens Lost in the Fog losing in the US$1 million Sprint and First Samurai losing in the US$1.6 million Juvenile, Saint Liam appears to have the inside track for Horse of the Year.
His top competition would be Preakness and Belmont winner Afleet Alex, who has not raced in nearly five months and missed the Classic.
Saint Liam, a hometown favorite who trained for this race at nearby Aqueduct, gave trainer Richard Dutrow Jr., his second win on the day. Earlier, his sprinter Silver Train upset Lost in the Fog.
"We just got lucky," Dutrow Jr. said. "I just couldn't be happier."
Saint Liam broke from post No. 13 and covered the 2km Classic in 2:01.49, becoming the second straight favorite to win the centerpiece of the eight-race, US$15 million-plus Breeders' Cup, which drew a crowd of 54,289. Ghostzapper won it last year and was voted Horse of the Year.
Owned by William K. and Suzanne Warren Jr., Saint Liam returned US$6.80 to win and earned US$2,433,600, boosting his career bankroll to US$3,696,960.
Family and friends of the owners, wearing Saint Liam baseball caps, swamped Bailey in the winner's circle.
Dutrow made his pitch for Horse of the Year.
"We have the best horse around," he said. "We didn't duck any kind of horse."
The 48-year-old Bailey, who failed to win aboard three earlier favorites on Saturday, came up big at the right time. The jockey has been considering retirement and this could be his last Breeders' Cup race.
Flower Alley, winner of the Travers but fourth in the Jockey Club Gold Cup in has last start, ran a strong race in his second try against older horses.
Perfect Drift was third, followed by Super Frolic, Suave, Choctaw Nation, Starcraft, Sir Shackleton, Sun King, Borrego, Oratorio, Jack Sullivan and A Bit O' Gold. Perfect Drift, in his fourth Breeders' Cup, had his best finish.
Also, Ashado finished a disappointing third behind 30-1 long shot winner Pleasant Home in the US$2 million Distaff in her farewell performance.
A first- or second-place finish by Ashado and the 4-year-old filly would have topped Azeri to become the leading money earner among fillies and mares. Azeri earned US$4,079,820; Ashado finished with US$3,931,440.
Silver Train, ridden by Edgar Prado, won the six-furlong Sprint by a head after surviving an objection by jockey Garrett Gomez, who was aboard runner-up Taste of Paradise.
Lost in the Fog, the 3-5 favorite to extend his winning streak to 11, moved into the lead briefly around the far turn but just didn't have it in the final eighth mile.
Lost in the Fog had been so brilliant in winning by an average of nearly seven lengths and traveling across the US six times to perform at seven tracks in eight races this year, but his return to Belmont -- he won the Riva Ridge here on June 11 -- was a bust.
And 85-year-old owner Harry Aleo and 57-year-old trainer Greg Gilchrist will return to Northern California without the victory they hoped would clinch top 3-year-old and Horse of the Year honors.
"He didn't have it in him today, and you know I don't see any apparent reason," Gilchrist said.
Silver Train covered the six furlongs in 1:08.86 and returned US$25.80, the second-highest payout in Sprint history.
In the Distaff, the Shug McGaughey-trained Pleasant Home beat Society Selection by 9 lengths and returned US$63.50 for the win, the highest payoff ever in the 1.8km Distaff. Winning time for the race was 1:48.34.
Earlier, Stevie Wonderboy put owner and TV impresario Merv Griffin on the road to the Kentucky Derby when the 2-year-old colt won the US$1.6 million Juvenile, beating Henny Hughes by a length with First Samurai third.
The colt named for singer Stevie Wonder stormed into the lead down the stretch and won for the fourth time in five starts while handing First Samurai his first defeat in five starts.
The win was most rewarding for Gomez, who was out of riding for nearly two years because of drug and alcohol problems.
Juvenile Fillies
Folklore gave trainer D. Wayne Lukas his fifth win in the US$1 million Juvenile Fillies with a one-length victory over Wild Fit. Prado ended a 41-race losing record in Breeders' Cup races before wining the Sprint.
Folklore, who paid US$6.70, likely clinched the 2-year-old filly championship. Lukas now boasts 18 Breeders' Cup winners -- the most of any trainer.
Turf
Shirroco made his first win of the year a big one, taking the US$2.28 million Turf by a length over Ace. The 4-year-old colt bred in Germany took the lead after pacesetter Shake the Bank dropped back around the final turn in the 2.4km race.
Shakespeare finished 12th in losing for the first time after five straight wins. Shirroco paid US$19.60 to win, and jockey Christophe Soumillon won his first Breeders' Cup race.
Filly & Mare Turf
Intercontinental led gate-to-wire and beat Ouija Board by a length, giving jockey Rafael Bejarano his first Breeders' Cup win. Ouija Board, bothered by a stress fracture most of the year, was unable to repeat in the race she won last year.
Intercontinental, trained by Bobby Frankel, returned US$32.20, the highest payout in the history of the race.
Mile
Artie Schiller, the badly beaten favorite last year, came back and won the Mile this time. The 4-year-old colt, with Gomez subbing for injured rider Richard Migliore, won for the third time in seven starts and earned US$1,053,000. Artie Schiller paid US$13.20.
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