The Breeders' Cup, horse racings final major event of the year, galloped to a great start Friday at Keeneland in Lexington,Kentucky, withfour close finishes, leading into what should be a sensational Saturday of action.Here is a look at the results and payouts from the first day of action:Juvenile TurfRyan Moore anchored Hit It a Bomb to a last-ditch effort to secure victory in the opening Juvenile Turf event.It marked the third win in five years for the tandem of Moore and trainer Aidan OBrien, according toLydia Symondsof Racing Post.Moore started in Post 14, last place, and hung in the rear for most of the race, then charged to victory in the final stretch past Airoforce,courtesy of At the Races:Hit It a Bomb owner Evie Stockwell toldSymondsthe low draw was an initial concern, but she was confident in Moores ability:"Aidan and Joseph said he was very good from the outset but they were really worried about the draw and the ground, but luckily Ryan is as good as he is and he's a smart horse thankfully, Stockwell said.Often a gauge for top turf horses of the future, the Juvenile Turf consists of male two-year-olds, per theBreeders' Cup.Moore was sidelined for11 weeksand initiallythought to be lostfor the rest of 2015 after suffering a neck injury in July when his horse reared in the stalls in the final race at Newmark.Prior to the incident, Moore had set a record with nine wins during the Royal Ascot.His dramatic win marked a fitting start to the two days of racing, courtesy of David Aragona of Timeform:Las Vegas Dirt MileJavierCastellano charged the favored Liams Map from Post 3 to victory in the Las Vegas Dirt Mile race, comfortably passing Lea on the front stretch to win by nearly three lengths.Liams Map galloped the one-mile dirt track with a record time of one minute, 34.54 seconds,according to theAssociated Press(via USNews.com), giving Castellano his fifth Breeders' Cup victory and trainer Todd Pletcher his eighth, according to theNBC Sports telecast.Keeneland Racecourse showed the final stretch from the stands:Thefour-year-old colthung near the back for most of the race before the late charge. Pletcher told NBC Sports Networkthe late start was an aspect he foresaw:One thing Javier and I spoke about in the paddock before the race is hes notalways quick the first step. With thecomplexion of the race, the short run to the first turn, we wanted to make sure he broke well. And unfortunately he didnt.I was concerned the whole way. theone thing that kept giving me someencouragement was every time somethingwent wrong, he responded by jumping back into the bridle. It was a great effort by a great horse.It was a fitting career finish for Liams Map, who will be retired to Lanes End Farm in Versailles, Kentucky, on Sunday, according toJonathan Lintnerof theLouisville Courier-Journal. It is disappointing that the powerful colt wont compete against AmericanPharoah in the Breeders' Cup Classic, as Tim Layden of Sports Illustrated noted:Juvenile Fillies TurfRidden by Florent Geroux, Catch a Glimpse won her third straight turf race in 1:39.08 at 6-1 odds, fourth best among the 14 horses competing in the Juvenile Fillies Turf, per theBreeders' Cup.Trainer Mark Casse secured his first Breeders' Cup victory in 26 attempts, according toKellie Reillyof TwinSpires.com. It was a feel-good win for Casse, one ofthe most respected trainers in racing, per Rich Perloff of TVG:Casse discussed his relief and excitement with BloodHorse.com'sClaire Novak(via ESPN.com)."It feels good. It feels really good," Casse said. "When this is all you've ever done for your entire lifethis is my entire life. This is important."Candice Hare showed Catch a Glimpse taking her victory lap while donned in Breeders' Cup purple shortly after the race:After European horses won the first two races, Catch a Glimpse gave the United Statesits first winof this years Breeders' Cup on home turf, per Reilly, holding off the favored Alice Springs by just under a full length.Longines DistaffCastellano and Pletcher rode to their second win of the day on the heels of StopChargingMaria, who outlasted Stellar Wind by a neck in the Longines Distaff, according to Jason Frakes of theLouisville Courier-Journal.The finish required video review after Stellar Winds jockey, Victor Espinoza, filed an objection, saying he was forced to pull up when the two bumped, according to the Associated Press(h/tFox Sports).At the Races showed theexchange on the final stretch:The initial ruling was upheld when there was a lack of sufficient evidence to make an overturn, per the AP.The flair for drama in four phenomenal races set up the nine events Saturday, including the Breeders' Cup Classic, in which 2015 Triple Crown winner American Pharoah will compete in his final race.
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