There was a moment on the Del Mar turf when it seemed She Feels Pretty had the Maker’s Mark Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf (G1) in her grasp — and then Gezora (FR) arrived. With the Pacific light fading over the 42nd World Championships, Peter Brant’s brave French filly swept past in the dying strides to land a stirring half-length victory worth every ounce of patience and belief.
For trainer Francis-Henri Graffard, it was a triumph years in the making — his first-ever World Championships victory. For jockey Mickael Barzalona, who coaxed Gezora through a flawless ride, it marked a second Breeders’ Cup success and a performance rich in timing and touch.
“She’s a champion filly,” said Graffard, visibly moved. “It’s very hard to win here, but Gezora has a big heart and she travels so strongly. She’s a classic winner, a Prix de Diane winner, and now a Breeders’ Cup winner — not many fillies have that on their résumé.”
Gezora’s Grit Shines in a Tactical Turf Battle
The $2 million Maker’s Mark Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf (G1) drew a field of 13, with longshot Be Your Best (IRE) setting brisk early fractions of :24.36, :47.43, and 1:11.17. She Feels Pretty — a five-time Grade 1 winner — took over turning for home, seemingly on her way to yet another elite triumph. But Gezora, travelling smoothly from midpack, began to reel her in with a relentless rhythm.
Barzalona, patient throughout, angled his filly out for room. With less than a furlong to go, She Feels Pretty dug deep — only for Gezora to surge past inside the final sixteenth, stopping the clock at 2:12.54 for the 1⅜ miles on firm ground.
“I got a good position early,” Barzalona said. “The pace was honest, and she’s so straightforward. I knew if I just kept her balanced, she’d find that finish — and she did.”
The victory lifted Gezora’s career earnings to $2,037,412 with a record of 10 starts, 5 wins, 2 seconds, and 1 third. Bred in France, she is a 3-year-old daughter of Almanzor (FR) out of Germance, by Silver Hawk — and she continues to carry Brant’s iconic white and green silks with distinction.
Tough Beats and Proud Efforts
Runner-up She Feels Pretty, trained by Cherie DeVaux, lost nothing in defeat. “Just to be beaten in the last jump is disheartening,” she admitted, “but I’m proud of her. She gives everything she has, every race.”
Veteran jockey John Velazquez, aboard the filly, echoed the sentiment: “It’s tough. Bad post, no cover, but she fought. You can’t ask more than that.”
For Charlie Appleby, whose pair Diamond Rain (GB) and Cinderella’s Dream (GB) finished third and eighth respectively, there was both satisfaction and farewell. “Cinderella’s Dream has earned her retirement,” he said. “Diamond Rain delighted us. She handled the course well and we’ll hopefully see more of her next year.”
A Season of Rare Emotion for Francis-Henri Graffard
Graffard’s season has been nothing short of remarkable — with triumphs spanning the Prix de Diane, Champion Stakes, and Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe. Adding a Breeders’ Cup victory completes a season few European trainers could even dream of.
“It’s been incredible,” Graffard said. “A lot of work, a lot of emotion. To win races like these — it’s pure joy.”
As the Del Mar crowd saluted Gezora’s return to the winner’s enclosure, there was the sense that this was more than a race — it was a coronation. The filly from France, calm and resolute, had sealed her place among the year’s true greats.
Read more Breeders’ Cup race reports at RaceBuzz.
