Breeders' Cup places for Judge and Storm

Both horses finished third under Jamie Spencer, with Just The Judge beaten less than two lengths by Dayatthespa and Stephanie's Kitten in the Gr.1 Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf - and narrowly ahead of last year's winner, Dank - while Trade Storm chased home Karakontie and Anodin in the Gr.1 Breeders' Cup Mile, crossing the line two lengths behind the winner.

A muddling pace did not help Just The Judge (pictured above in maroon colours on rail), but Spencer said: "She's run really well. I was much better being on the inside than trying to go on the outside but I'm pleased with her. I had a beautiful position and everything was going smoothly the first time around. Then the pace started steadying and they stacked up to the end of the back straight. It was going to be very hard to catch the leaders from there. She's not a leader, so there has to be some pace. She fought well in the home straight. You have to be really proud of her; she tried really hard in the last couple of months and has shown good form."

Her trainer, Charlie Hills, said: "She ran a great race. I'm really pleased with her. My God they didn't half crawl. A much faster pace would have suited her better, but she's run really well."

Classic winner Just The Judge, who is owned in partnership by Qatar Racing and the Sangster Family, is now heading to the December Sales early next month in Newmarket - this performance and a recent win in the Gr.1 E P Taylor Stakes have underlined her brilliance at two, three and four years of age.

Karakontie is clear in the Mile, but Trade Storm
(maroon colours) is staying on into third

Of Trade Storm, Spencer said: "I just tried to thread my way through the field. I have no complaints at all about my trip. He ran very well. I was very proud of him," while the horse's trainer, David Simcock, said: "I'm really pleased with him. He's run a great race. He's a model of consistency and he's won a lot of prize money. Hopefully he'll stay in training next year."

Trainer David Simcock (left), with Sheikhs Fahad and Suhaim
and other team members following Trade Storm's fine third

Secret Gesture, for Ralph Beckett's stable, ran a highly creditable race to finish fifth in the Filly and Mare Turf, just a neck behind Dank, but Wind Fire and War Alert beat just one home in the Sprint and Juvenile Turf Sprint respectively, while Wet Sail was last, albeit little more than six lengths behind winner Hootenanny, in the Juvenile Turf.

The night's feature race, the $5m Gr.1 Breeders' Cup Classic almost resulted in a fabulous victory for Spencer - who retires from race riding at the end of the year to join the management team at Qatar Racing - on the Jamie Osborne-trained Toast Of New York, who was inches behind winner Bayern.

There was another Stakes race win for Qatar Racing on Friday when Terror, also trained by Simcock, ran out an winner of Newmarket's Listed Oh So Sharp Stakes for juvenile fillies.

Pictures by Laurence Squire