Glass Slippers: Former Breeders’ Cup winner and Yorkshire favourite retired

Hambleton trainer Kevin Ryan announced the decision immediately after his stable star was eighth to Golden Pal in her brave attempt to defend the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint that she won 12 months previously in Kentucky.

Stablemate Emaraaty Ana – winner of Haydock’s Group One sprint in September – was a far from disgraced fourth in a spectacularly fast race in which Wesley Ward’s Golden Pal atoned for his disappointing run in York’s Nunthorpe Stakes.

Clearly a lightning-quick start – and Del Mar’s tight turns – played to the strengths of the victor who will reappear at Royal Ascot next year.

And Ryan was phlegmatic in defeat. “Emaraaty Ana’s run great, they went as we expected and he came good turning in, but they kept going in front. He’s run his heart out,” he said.

“The winner has unbelievable speed from the gate and he galloped all the way to the line.

“Glass Slippers was flat out all the way and never got a chance to fill up. She’s been great and that’s it now, she’ll be off to the paddocks.”

Owned by Bearstone Stud, Glass Slippers won seven out of her 21 starts, and nearly £1m in prize money, and had a great rapport with regular rider Tom Eaves who is engaged to Ryan’s daughter Amy.

One of the great Yorkshire horses because of her groundbreaking success at the 2020 Breeders’ Cup, she also won the Prix de l’Abbaye at ParisLongchamp in 2019 and the Flying Fifth Stakes at the Curragh last year.

Meanwhile, Yibir capped an incredible Breeders’ Cup for Charlie Appleby and William Buick when flying home late to pip Broome in the Turf.

It capped a memorable treble for the all-conquering pair after they won the Juvenile Turf with Modern Games on Friday and the Mile with Space Blues earlier on Saturday’s card.

And three-times champion jockey Oisin Murphy registered his first Breeders’ Cup winner as Japanese mare Marche Lorraine prevailed in a thrilling finish to the Distaff.

With the local favourites all chasing a red-hot early tempo and fading even before the home turn, it was Dunbar Road and Marche Lorraine who fought out the finish.

As the pair crossed the line, a dead heat looked a real possibility but Murphy was overjoyed to learn his mount had edged it at the line.

“I wasn’t sure (if I’d won), it was very hard to tell in the shadows at this time of day,” said Murphy. “This is a dream come true for me personally to win at the Breeders’ Cup, on dirt, on a Japanese horse. It’s the biggest stage in the world.”

Elsewhere, the 2021 turf season ended at Doncaster on Saturday with a crowdpleasing Royal win for Andrew Balding’s King’s Lynn in the Virgin Bet Wentworth Stakes.

The four-year-old, owned and bred by the Queen, capped a career-best season for winning jockey David Probert.

“He’s a lovely horse – I managed to get him to sit behind the pace and the wind early on,” said Probert. “He’s actually been running very consistently throughout and had a real good run at Ascot the last day.”

And Mac Tottie sparked dreams of a tilt at Grand National glory after enhancing trainer Peter Bowen’s excellent record over the famous fences in the Betway Grand Sefton Chase at Aintree under his son James.

There was an eyecatching run in third by Manwell for Guiseley trainer Sam England and her husband Jonathan who was in the saddle.