British raider Raven's Pass blew past heralded Curlin to win the $US5 million ($A7.43 million) Breeders' Cup Classic to cap a stellar showing for Europe in the $US25.5 million ($A37.88 million) weekend.Curlin, the only North American horse to surpass $US 10 million in earnings, was the overwhelming favorite to polish his legend by repeating his triumph of 2007.Punters at Santa Anita placed more than $1 million on Curlin to win the Classic.His bid drew a crowd of 51,331 that included California G

British raider Raven's Pass blew past heralded Curlin to win the $US5 million ($A7.43 million) Breeders' Cup Classic to cap a stellar showing for Europe in the $US25.5 million ($A37.88 million) weekend.

Curlin, the only North American horse to surpass $US 10 million in earnings, was the overwhelming favorite to polish his legend by repeating his triumph of 2007.

Punters at Santa Anita placed more than $1 million on Curlin to win the Classic.

His bid drew a crowd of 51,331 that included California Governor and one time movie strongman Arnold Schwarzenegger, actor Kurt Russell and Joe Torre, former manager of baseball's New York Yankees now at the helm of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

But it was Raven's Pass, ridden by Frankie Dettori for trainer John Gosden, who pelted to victory on the final straight as Curlin faded to a stunning fourth in the 1 1/4-mile (2000m) race on Santa Anita's Pro-Ride synthetic track.

Henrythenavigator, trained by Irishman Aidan O'Brien and ridden by John Velazquez, was second, 1-3/4 lengths behind with Tiago third.

"Brilliant! A dream come true!" said a jubilant Dettori, who flung his whip into the air in celebration.

It was a perfect homecoming for Gosden, who trained in the US from 1979 to 1988.

"What a day to cherish," he said. "Sometimes, things just go right."

Gosden admitted that beating a horse of Curlin's calibre made the Classic victory even sweeter.

"Curlin set the standard. Curlin set the benchmark," Gosden said. "He's a magnificent horse, and the way he won in the slop last year was superb.

"In Dubai (the 2008 Dubai World Cup), he was fantastic. He's a great horse, and he's still a great horse.

"But it's like any champion. When you fight, you put the belts down on the ground. There's always a chance the challenger can come on and catch you with the left hook."

The triumph of Raven's Pass punctuated a stellar day for European-based horses which won five of Saturday's nine races after being shut out in the five races for fillies and mares on Friday.

It was the second triumph of the day for Gosden and Dettori, who combined to take Donativum to victory in the one million-dollar, one-mile Juvenile Turf.

While Europe celebrated a perfect ending to an exceptional day, Curlin's connections were left to wonder if the synthetic surface scuppered their super horse.

For trainer Steve Asmussen, there was no doubt.

"It was a turf race," Asmussen said. "It absolutely was the Pro-Ride surface. He ran his heart out and gave it all he had. He's a great horse."

It was no surprise to see a European in control in the $3 million, 1 1/2-mile (2400m) Turf.

Irish-bred Conduit gave Barbados-born trainer Sir Michael Stoute his third Turf victory.

"I was very confident running him on the course here because he's raced well on firm turf before," Stoute said.

"I was not worried about the heat today because he's a young horse and quite fit."

Filly Goldikova won the $2 million Mile on the turf course giving her French trainer Freddie Head a unique Breeders' Cup double.

Head, who rode Miesque to victory in the Mile in 1987 and 1988, became the first Breeders' Cup winning jockey to win a Breeders' Cup race as a trainer.

Ireland's Muhannak got the ball rolling for the trans-Atlantic contenders in the first race of the day, the newly introduced 1-1/2-mile Marathon on dirt.

Jockey Garrett Gomez piloted an impressive three mounts to the winner's circle, taking his tally for this 25th edition of the Breeders' Cup to four.

Gomez guided the Bob Baffert-trained Midnight Lute to a second-straight victory in the $2 million six-furlong (1200m) Sprint.

Gomez and Baffert teamed earlier to take Midshipman to victory in the $2 million 1-1/16-mile Juvenile for two-year-olds.

And Gomez rode Albertus Maximus to a win in the Dirt Mile for trainer Vladimir Cerin.

Richard Migliore, who has won more than 4,000 races in his riding career, nabbed his first Breeders' Cup victory aboard 36-1 long shot Desert Code in the $1 million 6-1/2-furlong (1300m) Turf Sprint.

Gosden was full of praise for the new-look Breeders' Cup - even before his Classic triumph.

Fantastic filly Zenyatta dazzled on the first day, overpowering the field in the two million-dollar Ladies' Classic that highlighted the five-race programme for fillies and mares.

"You can bring any horse here, any distance, colts, fillies, older or younger, they've opened it up and made a huge effort," he said.

"It had become slightly static. It was in danger of becoming a little stale, and they really rejuvenated it."

AFP