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Kennedy Road Stakes Betty Grable Stakes Breeders Cup Wrap Up Breeders Cup Saturday Breeders Cupnbsp;Friday |
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 Jockey Dylan McMonagle celebrates aboard Ethical Diamond after winning the Turf |
The 2025 Breeders' Cup World Championships ended on Saturday with nine races, all with year-end championship implications, four of which were conducted over Del Mar's 7 furlong Jimmy Durante turf course in the infield. Conditions were similar to Friday, with partly cloudy skies and temperatures in the mid 60's for the 35,173 fans in attendance, with the course rated firm.
Irad Ortiz Jr. won the 23nd Bill Shoemaker Award and his sixth overall. Ortiz opened the weekend with a victory on Cy Fair in the Turf Sprint and followed up back-to-back victories Saturday on Shisospicy in the Turf Sprint and Bentornato in the Sprint. The Shoemaker Award goes to the jockey who rides the most winners in the 14 Championship races with the tiebreaker being a 10-3-1 point system for second- through fourth-place finishes.
 Ethical Diamond wins the Turf |
Jockey James Doyle sent 91-1 longshot Silawi to a clear lead for the first lap of the course through fractions of 23.22, 47.53, 1:11.99, and 1:37.04 while pressed by 108-1 Rashabar and stalked by Rebel's Romance. Into the stretch Silawi tired as 8-1 fourth choice Goliath gained a short lead through 10f in 2:01.98. In the stretch, Minnie Hawk, 8th early, briefly led at the 1/8 pole before also tiring, as 27-1 Ethical Diamond, 13th early under Dylan McMonagle, came out 5 wide and rallied to win by 1 1/4 lengths over Rebel's Romance in a new course record 2:25.45, 45/100 second faster than the previous record set by Yibir in the 2021 Breeders' Cup Turf. It was another 3/4 length back to 18-1 El Cordobes third, while favorite Minnie Hauk checked in 6th beaten 4 3/4 lengths.
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Purse: $4,000,000 Distance: 1 1/2 miles turf
Pgm Horse Jockey Win Place Show 14 Ethical Diamond McMonagle 57.40 21.20 16.60 1 Rebel's Romance Buick 4.60 4.00 10 El Cordobes Loughnane 10.00 Winning Time: 2:25.45 (new track record) $1 Exacta 14-1 141.40 $1 Trifecta 14-1-10 1,260.50 $1 Superfecta 14-1-10-3 5,760.10 Expanded results with more photos and details |
Ethical Diamond in the post parade. Winning jockey Dylan McMonagle said, "We decided to get back (in the field) and get him to relax, waiting for a bit of luck. Thankfully, halfways, the gallop was strong and it give me a good chance to finish, but once I was able to angle out off the turn, I was just pushing the button, and the way he went and he bolted up the lines. It's great to top off a year that we've had (champion jockey in Ireland). It is unbelievable, so I must thanks to everyone who deserves it."
Winning trainer Willie Mullins said, "The first time I brought him to Royal Ascot, he had a similar draw, he was wide on the outside, and he just broke so fast. He was too free. So now we just try and temper his early speed, which is a bit contradictory. Normally the Irish horses coming to America, we gun them up to try to get out of the stalls quick. We were doing the opposite with this fellow. We put a hood on him to slow him down. When Dylan jumped out, he just wheeled him across and behind and just got him relaxed and got him spitting out the bit. That worked for our better, and it does work, as we can see. He's just improving now that we have refined the tactics."
 Notable Speech wins the Mile |
Jockey Juan Hernandez sent 54-1 One Stripe to the lead first time by through fractions of 22.59 and 46.56 while pressed by 51-1 Oirat and stalked by The Lion in Winter. On the far turn the pacesetters tired as Rhetorical took over through 3/4 in 1:08.84 and opened up a 1 length advantage midstretch through 7f in 1:22.44. Notable Speech, 6th early under William Buick, found room inside to surge to the lead and held off late-running 18-1 Formidable Man to win by 1 1/2 lengths in 1:33.66. It was a head back to The Lion in Winter third.
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Purse: $2,000,000 Distance: 1 mile turf
Pgm Horse Jockey Win Place Show 2 Notable Speech Buick 7.20 5.00 3.20 8 Formidable Man Velazquez 13.60 6.00 4 The Lion in Winter Soumillon 3.40 Winning Time: 1:33.66 $1 Exacta 2-8 60.60 $1 Trifecta 2-8-4 313.20 $1 Superfecta 2-8-4-11 1,996.40 Expanded results with more photos and details |
Notable Speech heads out for the post parade. Winning trainer Charlie Appleby said, "He's a horse we've always thought highly of. He came here and had a great trip around there and was comfortable the whole way. He was following the right horse, there, and I knew The Lion In Winter (IRE) would take him into the race from where he was. We were always waiting for the cutaway—that's all it was. He had to get out and get on that fence and ride that rail, but he's the right horse to do with that."
Appleby added, "He is tailor-made for this track and I know he's had to learn how to run it, but the experience around Woodbine was the making of it to come into a race like today. Then Will's ride around there was copybook. If you could ever wrote a script on how to go around there, that was how. He got him out, got a nice pitch two or three back and we always knew we have the cutaway here—even if he was a couple lengths off of them at the cutaway, he's got that electric turn-of-foot that we've seen throughout his career. I was confident."
 Gezora wins the Filly and Mare Turf |
Jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. sent Be Your Best to a clear lead first time by through fractions of 24.36, 47.43, 1:11.17, and 1:35.66 while pressed by She Feels Pretty and stalked by 18-1 Village Voice. Turning for home Be Your Best tired allowing She Feels Pretty to gain the lead through 10f in 2:00.43, but 9-1 Gezora, 6th early under Mickael Barzalona, came out 3 wide and rallied to win by 1/2 a length in 2:12.54. It was another 3/4 length back to Diamond Rain third, while favorite Cinderella's Dream failed to rally finishing 8th beaten 5 3/4 lengths.
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Purse: $2,000,000 Distance: 1 3/8 miles turf
Pgm Horse Jockey Win Place Show 5 Gezora Barzalona 20.20 7.60 5.00 13 She Feels Pretty Velazquez 4.80 3.80 6 Diamond Rain Loughnane 4.00 Winning Time: 2:14.95 $1 Exacta 5-13 79.60 $1 Trifecta 5-13-6 263.00 $1 Superfecta 5-13-6-8 7,811.50 Expanded results with more photos and details |
Gezora in the post parade. Winning jockey Mickael Barzalona said, "I got a good draw, so I was able to get into a good position without too much effort in the beginning of the race. The pace went a good gallop and I thought I just needed to maintain my filly and concentrate to be in the race. I got into a flat spot quite early in the bend, but she was very tough. The leader was coming back to me and I knew I was going to get to the front. She's very straightforward and uncomplicated and I think that's what we need over here."
Winning trainer Francis-Henri Graffard said, "I saw that again today how hard it is (to win a Breeders' Cup race) and you really need a horse like Gezora, who has a big heart, travels really strongly and is able to quicken. She's a champion filly and it's fantastic to win a race like that, especially for Mr. (Peter) Brant in his famous colors. I was hoping she came out really well and she did. She's a very sweet filly and she tries very hard. She's not complicated, so she helps us do the job. Today she proved she's a real champion. She's a classic winner, Prix de Diane (French Oaks) winner and a Breeders' Cup winner—which is amazing—and I don't think many fillies have this on their CV."
 Shisospicy wins the Turf Sprint |
Jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. sent Shisospicy to a clear lead down the backstretch and around the turn through an opening quarter of 21.75 pressed by 25-1 Invincible Papa and stalked by 19-1 Governor Sam. Into the stretch Shisospicy continued to lead through a half in 43.86, and easily held off late-running Ag Bullet to win by 2 1/2 lengths in 55.24. It was another 1/2 length back to 14-1 Khaadem third, while favorite Motorious rallied from 11th to finish 5th beaten 4 3/4 lengths. 13-1 She's Quality broke poorly, was pulled up lame by jockey Colin Keane on the backstretch and vanned off.
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Purse: $1,000,000 Distance: 5 furlongs turf
Pgm Horse Jockey Win Place Show 10 Shisospicy Ortiz Jr. 12.60 6.80 5.40 8 Ag Bullet Velazquez 7.00 4.80 4 Khaadem Dettori 7.80 Winning Time: 55.24 $1 Exacta 10-8 33.70 $1 Trifecta 10-8-4 269.60 $1 Superfecta 10-8-4-2 1,935.50 Expanded results with more photos and details |
Shisospicy in the post parade. Winning jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. said, "The plan (before the race) was to let her to be where she wanted to be. She broke so good, and after that, it made everything easier. I had a lot of horse turning for home and never felt anyone was close to me. I kept waiting and no one was able to get close. That was the key."
Winning trainer Jose D'Angelo said, "I knew that she was going to explode today with her speed, and it worked out perfectly. With her speed, I just trained her for the race."
Winning jockey Joel Rosario said, "She's a very special horse and she showed me that again today. I knew Mike (Smith) and Violeta M were going fast on the lead, but my horse just relaxed and settled comfortably behind her. She made the lead easily on her own, I just let her go. I shook the reins at her just to keep her focused in the stretch and she finished well. She was the best horse in the race, that's for sure."
Part 1 of Saturday's results and photos are available here.
Results and photos for the five Breeders' Cup races on Friday are available here.
Photos courtesy of Amber Chalfin of Downthestretchphotos.com.
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