| Owner : Bushwood Racing Partners LLC. |
When the gates opened in the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Turf, the nearly white gelding, Star Over the Bay, jumped to the lead and set an uncontested pace for a mile. As he began to fade, the shenanigans began; in a four-horse battle for position in the stretch, Better Talk Now barreled his way to the front and prevailed by 13/4 lengths over Kitten’s Joy. Powerscourt, the disqualified winner of the Arlington Million, was a length farther back in third. Better Talk Now had a bad habit of lugging in down the stretch, and despite wearing a full cup blinker over his left eye, jockey Ramon Dominguez had to urge the gelding to run straight, crossing the wire first. After a stewards’ inquiry, Better Talk Now was declared the winner, paying $57.80, the third biggest upset in Turf history. Kitten’s Joy, the heaviest favorite of the day at .70-1, subsequently took honors as the outstanding turf male of 2004.
|
