Stayers' Watch: Breeders' Cup Marathon · 6.11.09
In a dramatic youth-versus-age finish, 3-year-old colt Man of Iron edged 9-year-old gelding Cloudy’s Knight by a nose to win the 1 3/4-mile Breeders’ Cup Marathon opening the two-day Breeders’ Cup “World Championships” on Friday afternoon.
Man of Iron, bred in Kentucky but racing outside the British Isles for the first time, trailed the field early, then gradually moved up through the first mile. Black Astor set a strong but comfortable pace (48.23 for the half-mile, 1:13.66 for three-quarters), with Nite Light and last year’s winner Muhannak stalking. On the final turn Cloudy’s Knight came with a huge move, going three-wide. The veteran took the lead at the quarter-pole, with St. Leger winner and 7-5 favourite Mastery right behind him. Black Astor would eventually fade to finish ninth.
Man of Iron had also moved up at this point, and tracked the two leaders closely entering the stretch. He ducked to the inside and began chasing down Cloudy’s Knight, who was racing down the middle of the racetrack. Man of Iron took the lead inside the sixteenth-pole, but Cloudy’s Knight bravely came back again and just missed in the final strides.
The final time on the Pro-Ride synthetic surface was 2:54.11 — Paper Junction’s world record of 2:50 2/5 for 1 3/4 miles, set in 1985, was never in serious jeopardy. Mastery finished third, 2 1/4 lengths behind Cloudy’s Knight and more than 11 lengths ahead of Gangbuster.
Black Astor’s strong early pace, followed by the sprint to the wire, Cloudy’s Knight’s gallant second effort, and the dramatic finish, made this year’s Marathon a far more exciting race than 2008’s inaugural edition. Anybody who finds races like this boring needs to give their heads a shake. Interestingly, Man of Iron is out of the broodmare Better Than Honour, making him half-brother to back-to-back Belmont Stakes winners Jazil (2006) and Rags to Riches (2007).
Champion Stayer Award standings — update:
- Champs Elysees — 14 points
- Cloudy’s Knight — 14 points
- Brass Hat — 14 points
- Midships — 12 points
- Summer Bird — 10 points
- Man of Iron — 10 points
- Interpatation — 10 points
- Just As Well — 10 points
- Telling — 10 points
- Spring House — 10 points
- Spice Route — 10 points
- Perfect Shower — 10 points
His near-miss in the Marathon, coupled with his wins in the G3 Sycamore Stakes and Kentucky Cup Turf, move Cloudy’s Knight into a tie with Champs Elysees and Brass Hat. The tie gets broken in favour of Champs Elysees as his points all came in G1 races. Man of Iron’s win also puts him on the leader board.
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