Ryan Moore downplayed it. As the questions came in, he looked at the table he was sitting at and winced a little as his role in the race that had just unfolded was brought up.
It would never be different. He has never been comfortable with the idea that he could overshadow a horse’s performance, especially if the horse is as good as Auguste Rodin; Moore adores this brilliant colt and has done so since he first sat on him in February 2022.
But as much as he would have liked the spotlight to shine elsewhere, it had to be on him. The $4 million Breeders’ Cup Turf was the excellent race of this spectacular meeting, a clash between Mostahdaf and King Of Steel, and the decision was made by Moore’s genius.
Auguste Rodin has moved beautifully all week, floating seamlessly through the corners, but it must have felt as if he had been thrown into a playground roundabout in the first three furlongs as his rivals rocked and rolled and bounced off each other.
Mostahdaf, a two-time Group 1 winner this season, wanted to go a step faster than his partner Jim Crowley would allow and wasted some energy tightening the reins; King Of Steel, so brave when he won the QIPCO Champion Stakes at Royal Ascot a fortnight earlier, found things unfolding quickly.
Ryan Moore put in a brilliant performance to guide Auguste Rodin to victory in the Breeders’ Cup Turf
Aiden O’Brien’s horse beat competition from Up To The Mark in this meeting’s excellent race
Moore, 40, watched it all unfold before him but managed to get Auguste Rodin, named after a French sculptor, on the right track. They were in a decent position, eight lengths off the pace, but in the stands Aidan O’Brien was a little concerned about what he saw.
“After three furlongs it was chaos,” O’Brien panted.
The sight of his jockey bobbing in owner Michael Tabor’s blue-and-orange silk provided immediate comfort.
“But that’s the problem with Ryan,” O’Brien continued. “He is so professional with everything he sees that he never panics. Ryan is a brilliant jockey, but most of all he loves horses – and believe me, he really loves this horse.
‘I told him the other day that he won’t reach his peak until he’s 45 – seriously! He is so professional. He does everything. When he comes to work (at Coolmore in Ireland), he’s the first one in the gym before you. And I promise you, he will get better.”
O’Brien praised Moore’s professionalism and dedication after his sensational victory
How does it get better than this? Auguste Rodin, who had won the English and Irish derbies in mid-summer, was prepared for the assignment after an exciting performance in the Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown in September.
It could have ended in bitter frustration – all it took was one of his rivals rolling the wrong way – but Moore knew Auguste Rodin’s capabilities. Agile and fast, he sped through the gap, around the rail, like a motorcyclist speeding through rush hour.
Once he broke through, it was all over. Up To The Mark chased him to the line, with Japanese contender Shahryar trying to give chase, but the game was over. Moore, as a starting striker who appears in the right place at the right time, had made a difference when it mattered.
“During the race I did plan F,” he said, deflecting the praise; Moore has won this race before, twice on Conduit (2008 and 2009) and once on Magician (2013) and Found (2016). But when he looks back on this, the thrill will be a little different.”
‘Me? I’m just really happy that he proved how good he is,” Moore emphasized. “He’s beaten some good horses here. This really is a horse of the highest order.’
A top class horse that received quite a superlative kick.