She was the banker of the weekend for many and Lake Victoria did not disappoint at Del Mar on Friday but there was drama.
The undefeated daughter of Frankel and Quiet Reflection, representing Coolmore, Aidan O'Brien and Ryan Moore, was shuffled back into mid-division at an early stage of the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies' Turf.
She is special! Lake Victoria wins the @BreedersCup Juvenile Fillies Turf! #BC24 pic.twitter.com/ONV2HIugm2
— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) November 1, 2024
However, she had enough ability to make ground up the rail on the approach to the home straight before pulling out wide and scooting past the front-running Thought Process about a furlong from home.
She soon pulled clear and won by a comfortable two lengths from May Day Ready. Gavin Cromwell's Fiery Lucy finished a very creditable fourth.
"She was just a level above these!"
— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) November 1, 2024
Ryan Moore sings Lake Victoria's praises for her gutsy Juvenile Fillies Turf win... pic.twitter.com/PxLf6RRlEC
This was Lake Victoria's third Group/Grade 1 success in a row, following wins in the Moyglare Stud Stakes and the Cheveley Park Stakes. All three races were over different distances.
Coolmore bought Quiet Reflection (by Showcasing) for 2.1 million guineas in 2017 after she had won the Haydock Sprint Cup. Lake Victoria is the third winner she has bred from four runners, the others being Bluegrass and The Equator.
This success came an hour after the Ger Lyons-trained Magnum Force won the Juvenile Turf Sprint for trainer Ger Lyons and jockey Colin Keane.