Breeders’ Cup: Victoria Road beats Silver Knott in Juvenile Turf thriller at Keeneland as Aidan O’Brien celebrates double | Racing News

Victoria Road claimed success in the final strides of a spectacular final run on day one of the Breeders’ Cup at Keeneland.

The Aidan O’Brien-trained colt raced through a busy field in the $1m freshman turf, surging forward as Charlie Appleby’s Silver Knott battled from a boxed-in spot on the inside rail .

Silver Knott looked to have grabbed the glory as he raced past once he found space, but Victoria Road was flying on the outside.

The two horses battled in the final strides of the one-mile race, with the naked eye barely able to spot Victoria Road and Ryan Moore crossing the line first in the tightest finishes.

Moore said: “We were in a good spot when the pace settled and they hadn’t gone crazy on the backstretch.

“All the horses were in the way and he managed to make his way through.

“He’s been really progressive and has a lot of class.”

It completed a dramatic double on the night for O’Brien and Moore after Meditate’s dominant display in the Juvenile Fillies Turf.

Sitting at the back of the pack under Moore, the O’Brien-trained two-year-old was patiently ridden from a relatively wide draw in stall 10.

After the final turn, Moore called on the filly to upshift and she responded eagerly, moving past the leaders for an easy win.

Meditate’s victory saw their price tag for next year’s 1,000 Guineas deal, with Betfair dropping 8/1 to 16s, while they are 7/1 with Coral.

Buick and Appleby also took the win at Keeneland as Mischief Magic came from last to first to win the Juvenile Turf Sprint award.