O'Brien becomes Breeders' Cup training leader after Gstaad win

Aidan OBrien became the all time leading trainer at the Breeders Cup on Friday when Gstaad surged late to win the one mile Juvenile Turf at Del Mar, delivering the trainer his 21st Breeders Cup victory and breaking a long standing tie for the career record. Ridden by Christophe Soumillon, Gstaad overcame an outside draw and a slow break to sweep past rivals in the straight and secure the score for OBrien on the firm turf.

Gstaad, a Starspangledbanner colt who won the Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot and had been runner up in several Group 1s, settled in midpack before Soumillon angled out and produced a decisive late run. He crossed the line in 1:34.93, beating Stark Contrast by three quarters of a length, with North Coast third. Soumillon said he felt confident as the race unfolded. "I was cruising the whole way," he said.

The result extended OBrien's record in the Juvenile Turf to eight victories and took his tally of Group and Grade 1 wins for the year to 26, leaving him two short of his own world mark for top-level wins in a calendar year. OBrien paid tribute to D. Wayne Lukas, whose record he surpassed. "Wayne was an incredibly special man," he said, recalling Lukas's...