Structor

Multi-time Eclipse Award winning trainer Chad Brown had won 12 Breeders’ Cup races before finally capturing his first $1 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf- Presented by Coolmore America when Jeff Drown and Don Rachel’s Structor split horses in deep stretch and collared Billy Batts late to win by a three-quarters of a length at Santa Anita Park on the first day of the 2019 Breeders’ Cup World Championships.

Ridden by Jose Ortiz, Structor covered the mile on a firm turf course in 1:35.11. For Ortiz, it was his third Breeders’ Cup victory and second in the Juvenile Turf to go with a triumph by Oscar Performance in 2016.

Breaking from the No. 2 post-position in a 14-horse field, Ortiz gave Structor a ground-saving trip in the run down the backstretch as Graceful Kitten set the pace with Billy Batts in closest pursuit. At the head of the stretch, Ortiz swung Structor off the rail and rallied four-wide, surged past five horses and prevailed over Billy Batts for the victory.

“He’s just improving so much every week,” said Brown. “We thought he was sitting on another good race. 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 (Ortiz) made all the right calls. He just rode an outstanding race and the horse ran an outstanding race.”  

Winning jockey Ortiz added, “He broke alertly and I was able to save ground all the way around.  I wanted to ask him to run sooner, but I had nowhere to go at the three-eighths pole.  Once we got into the clear, he really finished strong.  He’s a very nice horse.”

The Juvenile Turf was Structor’s third win in as many starts, all on turf. He broke his maiden on Aug. 31 at Saratoga in a 1 1/16-mile race, and followed up that performance by taking the Grade 3, 1 1/16-mile Pilgrim Stakes at Belmont Park on Sept. 28. 

Structor is a Kentucky-bred son of Palace Malice out of the More Than Ready mare Miss Always Ready.