Ryan Moore wins record sixth Breeders' Cup Turf on Benvenuto Cellini

Ryan Moore claimed a record sixth Breeders' Cup Turf victory on Saturday, guiding Benvenuto Cellini home at Keeneland in Kentucky. BBC Sport reported that the English jockey finished three-quarters of a length clear of Map Of Stars in the £3.7 million race, delivering another milestone for himself and trainer Aidan O'Brien.

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James Doyle rode runner-up Map Of Stars, while Diamond Necklace completed the first three. Both the winner and third-placed horse are trained by O'Brien, whose tally of Turf victories rose to a record-extending eight. Moore had chosen Benvenuto Cellini ahead of stablemate Diamond Necklace, who had finished third in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.

Benvenuto Cellini started as the 3-1 favourite, and Moore saved his decisive challenge for the closing stages. In comments reported by the BBC, O'Brien praised the rider's patience and composure, describing how he allowed the race to develop before making his move. The trainer also highlighted the horse's class and ability to deliver when it mattered.

The result brought O'Brien level with his own annual record of 28 top-level wins. Benvenuto Cellini also added to a family connection with the meeting: his dam, Newspaperofrecord, won at the Breeders' Cup in 2018. Moore's latest success followed his appointment as an MBE in June for services to racing and British sport.

The Breeders' Cup Classic produced a victory for Sovereignty, ridden by Venezuelan jockey Junior Alvarado and trained by Bill Mott. The four-year-old had missed last year's running because of a fever. This time, he defeated a field that included Japan's Forever Young, whose attempt to win the race for a second consecutive year ended with a fifth-place finish.

Alvarado said the team had been eager to contest the Classic a year earlier and expressed gratitude that Godolphin had kept Sovereignty in training, according to the BBC's report. His victory delivered the Classic success that had been out of reach during the previous year's illness-enforced absence, alongside the record-setting Turf result for Moore and O'Brien.