Rebel s Romance and William Buick (right)© Photo Healy Racing
Rebel’s Romance produced a tremendous display at Del Mar to win the Longines Breeders’ Cup Turf for a second time.
Charlie Appleby’s globetrotting star won this prize two years ago, but whereas James Doyle was in the saddle at Keeneland, it was William Buick who got his moment aboard the big-race favourite this time around in California.
Buick made a key early move to take Rebel’s Romance up with the pace, sitting hot on the heels of the leader Cabo Spirit.
Rounding the turn for home Buick asked his mount for maximum effort as he left his rivals flat-footed in the charge for the line before then holding on gamely as Japanese contender Rousham Park finished full of running, having been at the rear alongside Emily Upjohn through the early stages.
It was an 11th Breeders’ Cup win for Appleby who once again showed his prowess at this meeting, although there was to be no dream reunion for John Gosden and Frankie Dettori as the well-fancied Emily Upjohn failed to figure.
But much of the gloss was taken off the race with the death of Brian Meehan’s Royal Ascot winner Jayarebe, who collapsed on the track after crossing the line, suffering what veterinary officials said was believed to be a “cardiac event”.
AAEP on-call veterinarian Dr Al Ruggles told NBC Sports: “We offer our condolences obviously to all the connections. It’s suspected to be a cardiac event, they are unusual but can occur. If in fact that is it, post-mortems don’t help answer that question generally and they are almost impossible to predict. In a horse that is training well you wouldn’t know it.”
Of the globetrotting Rebel’s Romance, Appleby said: “First and foremost he’s very much a yard favourite and he’s built up this worldwide fanbase, most notable when he went to Hong Kong when everybody knew him.
“Throughout the race I was pleased with where he was and pleased he made the move when he did. He’s a superstar, he really is. When you watch him run, you really feel it – you want him to win.
“To be campaigned at that level for the time he has takes a lot of guts.”
He went on: “He (Buick) was pretty confident we had got the job done, but he was idling because we’d been out there for so long.
“This fella owes us nothing. Obviously we would like to take him back to Dubai for the Sheema Classic, he’s a real star and draws all the media attention.
“With a horse like him he takes the pressure off you. When you roll a horse like him out you know you are going to get everything from him.
Like any athlete it takes a good one to knock him off his peg
“We planned to come back for the Turf last year, but he’d lost all of his mojo.
“We had to build him back up. Like any athlete it takes a good one to knock him off his peg.”
Emily Upjohn could never get in a blow under Frankie Dettori, finding little racing room, and John Gosden, who trains alongside his son, Thady, confirmed she had run her last race.
He said: “She hasn’t had a hard race, but that’s it now, she’s going into retirement.”
