Master Of The Seas edges Mawj for Godolphin one-two

Neil Morrice
November 6, 2023 8:20 am

1000 Guineas heroine just touched off in epic finish to Breeders’ Cup Mile.

Charlie Appleby enhanced his fine Breeders’ Cup record, with Master Of The Seas flying home late to deny fellow Godolphin raider Mawj in a rip-roaring conclusion to the Breeders’ Cup Mile at Santa Anita.

With Saeed bin Suroor’s 1000 Guineas heroine tracking the hot pace set by Japanese challenger Win Carnelian, in contrast William Buick had Master Of The Seas held up towards the rear of the field from his outside draw in stall 14.

The order remained unaltered swinging the turn for home when Oisin Murphy decided to angle out Mawj and send the ultra-tough Classic winner for home in what looked a race-winning move.

🔵 Buick at his 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐭!
A simply stunning performance from Master Of The Seas#ITVRacing | #BC23 | @godolphin pic.twitter.com/47M0NR7Uva
— ITV Racing (@itvracing) November 4, 2023

However, Buick’s patience was rewarded and as the wire approached, Master Of The Seas had one last lung-busting thrust in him to edge out Mawj and lead home an all-British and all-Godolphin one-two.

It was the third straight victory in the Breeders’ Cup Mile for both Appleby and Buick following their successes with Space Blues (2021) and Modern Games (2022), while the Moulton Paddocks handler now has 10 Breeders’ Cup victories to his name.

Appleby said: “We knew we had to go out with a slight plan and thankfully the pace we hoped for was on and set things up for our style of finish. Once he gathered his momentum we all know what kind of engine he has.

“He’d been to Canada, to Keeneland and shipped up here. He’s gone so close to winning a major and now he’s done it.

Buick said: “It was never going to be easy for him as he is a closer. We came to concentrate on only the one thing we could do and hoped for the pace angle. When that materialised I looked up and saw there were a lot of horses to pass, but once he went past the quarter-pole he took off. I was very confident he was going to get there.”

William Buick celebrates with Master Of The Seas (PA)

Of the gallant Mawj, Bin Suroor said: “She’s run a huge race. She was in front she did everything really, but I’m happy for Charlie.

“She will go back to Dubai now.”

Murphy added: “She’s just unlucky someone has to finish second. I wasn’t sure what the outcome of the photo was, it didn’t go our way today but that’s life. It was a good performance – she’s high-class.”