With Structor, Brown breaks through in Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf
Structor split horses in the stretch and finished with a strong kick to win Friday’s $1 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf in what was trainer Chad Brown’s 13th victory in the championship — but first in this division.
Structor, a son of Palace Malice, remained unbeaten in three starts with a determined ride under Jose Ortiz. The colt came from mid-pack, rallying behind opening fractions of 23.14 and 47.55 seconds.
Ortiz inherited the mount from his brother, Irad, and made the most of it on a horse he said “is very easy to ride.”
“Chad didn’t give me instructions,” Jose Ortiz said. “He just said wave at me when you pass the wire.”
"I don't get too excited during races anymore," Brown said. "I kind of stay calm, but I yelled for this one because I could see he had so much horse turning for home."
Structor was away at 5-1 in a field where the favorite, Aidan O’Brien-trained Arizona, could only muster fifth. The 50-1 shot Billy Batts held on for second, 60-1 Gear Jockey was third and 3-1 Decorated Invader fourth.
Both the top two choices, Arizona and Decorated Invader, were left to do with just one horse beaten up the back stretch. A more forward position turned out the right spot for Structor, who drove down the middle of the track late.
There was a scare to the inside in deep stretch when pace setter Graceful Kitten appeared to hit the rail and nearly stumbled, but he collected his footing and continued on, losing the lead in the process.
Structor, who broke his maiden Aug. 31 at Saratoga, entered off a Sept. 28 win in Belmont Park's Pilgrim Stakes (G3).
"We thought he was sitting on another good race," Brown said. "Irad opted for the other horse, and that’s how it goes. Jose was obviously a very capable replacement having been one of the leading jockeys now for the last couple years. We had a lot of confidence in him and I can’t tell you how proud I am of him.
"Yes, he had a great post, but he made all the right calls. He just rode an outstanding race and the horse ran an outstanding race. My staff did a great job bringing this horse along. I’m going to try this horse on dirt at some point. He trains very well on it. He deserves it and he’s got the right running style to potentially run on both surfaces.”