LOUISVILLE – Godolphin’s Line of Duty rallied strongly in the final yards to triumph in the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf (G1) at Churchill Downs on the Future Stars Friday card.

Sent off at 7-2 odds, Line of Duty provided Godolphin with its eighth victory at the World Championships.

There was an inquiry before the race was declared official, but no change in the order of finish.

Line of Duty prevailed in a tight three-horse photo finish over Uncle Benny and the pace-setting Somelikeithotbrown.

Line of Duty, ridden by William Buick and trained by Charles Appleby, has won three of five starts with two seconds.

Final time for the one mile on “good” turf was 1:40.06

Europe’s premier trainer, Aidan O’Brien, had dominated the previous 11 runnings of the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf with four victories, but was unplaced with 3-1 favorite Anthony Van Dyck.  O’Brien won last year’s Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf with Mendelssohn, who was second earlier this year in the Travers Stakes (G1) at Saratoga and is entered in Saturday’s $6 million Breeders’ Cup Classic.

His other Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf winners were Hit It a Bomb in 2015, George Vancouver in 2012 and Wrote in 2011.

In 12 runnings of the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf, European-based horses have been victorious eight times.

The Irish-bred Line of Duty gave Appleby his second Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf winner.

By Bob Ehalt