Line of Duty Rallies Late in Wild Juvenile Turf
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Photo: Skip Dickstein
Line of Duty (outside) wins the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf at Churchill Downs
In his first top-level try, Godolphin's Line of Duty rallied in deep stretch to secure a half-length victory in the $1 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf (G1T) Nov. 2 at Churchill Downs.
After a race in which a number of horses zigged and zagged in the stretch, there was a stewards' inquiry to review a hard bump in deep stretch between the winner, under William Buick, and runner-up Uncle Benny, under Irad Ortiz Jr. The result was not changed.
Line of Duty, a son of Galileo, completed the one-mile test for 2-year-olds in 1:40.06 on yielding turf. The victory adds to Godolphin's monster year, providing what winning trainer Charlie Appleby said was the 28th group/grade 1 win for Sheikh Mohammed's racing operation.
"William gave him a great ride. He managed to get him wide and come with a clear run," said Appleby. "It's great for the team and especially Sheikh Mohammad."
Early on, Skaychai Racing and Sand Dollar Stable's Somelikeithotbrown built a clear advantage under Jose Ortiz through a quarter-mile in :24.40 and continued to lead through a half-mile in :48.46, where he was pursued by Forty Under, Arthur Kitt, and Opry. Line of Duty rated in eighth at that point.
Appropriately named for Louisville, Ky., where the sandwich was created, Somelikeithotbrown continued his gutsy run into the stretch, where he built a 2 1/2-length advantage, pulling away from a number of challengers while finding run inside of the field but a bit off the rail. But the deep closers were still coming.
Uncle Benny, who was 10th through a half-mile, saw his late charge put him in contention, but Line of Duty was motoring on the outside. Line of Duty gained ground in the far turn, racing inside the field, then finding room outside in the stretch for his rally. For a few strides, the three 2-year-olds battled heads apart, and then came the bump when Line of Duty angled in and Uncle Benny appeared to come out a bit. Through it all, Line of Duty prevailed.
"One thing we knew going in was that he was going to stay to the wire," Appleby said.
After placing in his first two efforts, Line of Duty secured his maiden win Sept. 4 at Goodwood. He then won his stakes debut in the about 1 1/8-mile Prix de Conde (G3) Oct. 1 at Chantilly. Appleby said Line of Duty's willingness to compete in tight quarters that day signaled he'd be a good fit for American turf racing and the Breeders' Cup.
Line of Duty returned $9, $5.20, and $4.20. Uncle Benny paid $8 to place and $5.80 to show. Somelikeithotbrown paid $8.20 to show.
The runner-up finish marked a strong two-turn debut for Uncle Benny, who won the Futurity Stakes sprinting six furlongs on the Belmont Park | BloodHorse.com Track Profile">Belmont Park turf Oct. 7. That race was a Breeders' Cup Challenge "Win and You're In" to the Juvenile Turf Sprint, but trainer Jason Servis and the connections opted to stretch out in the Juvenile. Servis took the stewards' decision in stride.
"It looked like he banged him pretty good," Servis said. "But my dad was a steward for 40 years, and you've got to respect their opinions."
The victory was the fifth Breeders' Cup score for progeny of Galileo and moved the stallion to the top of the leading sires by Breeders' Cup earnings ($11,296,287). He entered the day less than $200,000 behind Unbridled's Song.
Appleby and Buick teamed to win last year's Filly & Mare Turf (G1T) with Wuheida. Appleby also won the 2013 Juvenile Turf with Outstrip.
Bred in Ireland by Triermore Stud, Line of Duty is out of English classic-placed Jacqueline Quest, by Rock of Gibraltar. Her first three foals to race are all winners by Galileo, including stakes-placed Hibiscus. Line of Duty is her first black-type winner.