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

Moore and Benvenuto Cellini win the Turf

Ryan Moore rode Benvenuto Cellini to victory in the Breeders' Cup Turf at Keeneland in Kentucky on 31 October 2026, the English jockey's sixth win in the race. The contest carries a purse of £3.7 million ($5 million), and the colt started as the 3-1 favourite. Moore kept him on the rail, with only two horses behind him on the turn into the short Keeneland straight, and struck once the gaps opened. Map Of Stars, ridden by James Doyle, finished three-quarters of a length behind in second, while Diamond Necklace took third for trainer Aidan O'Brien.

O'Brien's record and the Epsom background

The result gave Aidan O'Brien a record-extending eighth Turf victory, and it left him level with his own tally of 28 top-level wins in a calendar year, which matches the 2017 world record. With 24 wins in all at the Breeders' Cup, he is now clear of Bob Baffert in the history of the meeting. Benvenuto Cellini had been a setback at Epsom in June, when he put a back leg on a running rail in his stall and missed the start by a stride. The Epsom stewards declared him a non-runner because they judged he had not had a fair start, and bets on him were refunded. The colt had also finished ninth in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, a run O'Brien insisted was better than its placing. After the race O'Brien praised the colt's finishing effort, saying:

“Time after time he produces on the day.”

Other results on the card

In the Classic, Venezuelan jockey Junior Alvarado rode Sovereignty, a four-year-old trained by Bill Mott, to win the race. The horse had been scratched from last year's Classic because of fever, and Japan's Forever Young, seeking a second successive win, finished fifth. Alvarado called the victory spectacular and thanked the Godolphin team for keeping the horse in training, saying:

“We really wanted to run so bad the Classic last year.”

The Filly & Mare Turf went to Kathynmarissa, trained by Andrew Balding and ridden by Jose Ortiz, which got up to beat Graham Motion's Gimme A Nother at the line. Chad Brown's runner gave the United States a one-two and ended the unbeaten season of Blue Bolt. Willie McCreary's Jancis took third, with Ger Lyons' Red Letter sixth and Aidan O'Brien's Precise next.

Mile and Turf Sprint

In the Mile, Deterministic beat Notable Speech, the defending champion trained by Charlie Appleby. Kendrick Carmouche, a 42-year-old jockey, kept his mount close to the speed before kicking for home, while William Buick on Notable Speech could not reach the winner. William Haggas's Lake Forest finished third under Cieren Fallon. The winning trainer, who took over the licence after the death of Hall of Fame father Christophe Clement, recorded his first Grade One win with the horse. In the Turf Sprint, Bacio, trained by Wesley Ward and ridden by Juan Hernandez, won by a clear margin, with Cy Fair second for the United States and Ralph Beckett's Starlust third.