Spanish Mission up in final jump to win Jockey Club Derby Invitational

ELMONT, N.Y. – Approaching the sixteenth pole of the $1 million Jockey Club Derby Invitational, as he was continuing his rally from last aboard Spanish Mission and with just one horse left to pass, jockey Jamie Spencer dropped his right rein.

In a race that came down to the smallest of margins, it could have meant the difference between winning and losing. Despite that mistake, Spanish Mission, the 2-1 favorite, completed his rally from last, nailing 38-1 shot Pedro Cara on the wire to win the Jockey Club Derby Invitational by a nose at Belmont Park. It was 3 1/2 lengths back to San Huberto in third as European-based runners completed a 1-2-3 sweep of the final leg of the New York Racing Association’s inaugural Turf Trinity.

A Thread of Blue, who won the $1 million Saratoga Derby – the second leg of the Turf Trinity – finished fourth, three-quarters of a length over Henley’s Joy, who won the first leg of the Turf Trinity, the Grade 1, $1 million Belmont Derby here in July. Current, Kadar, Digital Age, and Tone Broke completed the order of finish.

The 1-2-3 finish in the Derby completed a great day for European-based runners as the French fillies Edisa and Wonderment ran 1-2 in the $750,000 Jockey Club Oaks earlier on the card.

Though based in Europe, Spanish Mission is a Kentucky-bred son of Noble Mission – the sire of Travers winner Code of Honor – and he is owned by Team Valor International and Earle Mack, a NYRA board trustee. Barry Irwin, president of Team Valor, and Mack bought Spanish Mission after his maiden win in his second start with the idea of bringing him to the U.S. next year. But as this year went on, Irwin realized this is a true European-type runner who will likely do most of his racing overseas. Irwin did convince his partners to let him run once in the U.S. and he chose this race after speaking with Martin Panza, NYRA’s senior vice president of racing operations, who told Irwin this would likely be the easiest of three races in the Turf Trinity.

It turned out there was nothing easy about it.

Breaking from the outside post in the nine-horse field, Spanish Mission broke outward. Spencer guided him toward the inside and he was last, about seven lengths off A Thread of Blue heading into the first turn.

Under Luis Saez, A Thread of Blue set a leisurely pace of 25.23 seconds for the quarter, 50.77 for the half, 1:16.17 for six furlongs and 1:40.01 for the opening mile over the good turf course.

Spanish Mission was last, but only about six lengths back at that point, while Pedro Cara was a length in front of him. A Thread of Blue led until inside the sixteenth pole before Pedro Cara, under Tony Piccone, struck the front. At that point, Spanish Mission was also closing but that’s when Spencer dropped his reins. Spanish Mission kept charging and got up in the last jump.

“Horses have good senses and he felt I dropped the reins because when you finish a race you drop your reins,” Spencer said. “Even though I was whipping him, it doesn’t help when you drop your rein. I would have been very cross with myself had I gotten beaten.”

Spanish Mission covered the 1 1/2 miles in 2:27.58 and returned $6.20 as the favorite.

“The style that Jamie has being out the back doesn’t concern us too much, he creeped into the race very nicely,” said Ian Russell, assistant to trainer David Simcock. “Yeah, he dropped his rein, but the horse knew what he was doing and he kept on a straight line and he got his head down. He really battles, he really does.”

Mauricio Delcher, trainer of Pedro Cara, said he was proud of the way his horse ran and was just unlucky not to win.

“He ran very well,” Delcher said. “The jockey rode a very nice race. We were second today. The winner I don’t think is better than us, but we were happy with the experience and with the horse.”

The Jockey Club Derby Invitational was a Win and You’re In race for the $4 million Breeders’ Cup Turf at Santa Anita on Nov. 2. The horse was scheduled to fly back to Simcock’s stable in England on Sunday morning with future plans to be made at a later time.

“He’s a horse that is going to be better with maturity,” Irwin said.