Frankie Dettori slays the ghosts of Swain Perfectly timed stretch run

The first time Frankie has rode him and he hits the jackpot.

I suspect the headline for the British would be: Curlin Doesn't Upset Raven's Pass!! Raven's Pass was undeniably the best horse on this day.

My Boy Henry , Ran Huge =D

Frankie finally finds the promised land a BC classic winners circle

i think its unfortunate jimmy fortune didnt get the ride, he rode him very nicely in the QEII Stakes and I think the horse has improved in itself and grown over the summer which has made him a better horse. Frankie gave him a good ride but I think that earlier on in the season Ravens just wasnt as good as Henry and thats why he only beat him once in Ascot for the QEII, John Gosden got him to peak at the right time for the big international race! I think its a real pity that Fortune missed out.

Had the owners of Zenyatta known what special horse they had, they could've raced her in the Classic instead of the filly. She had won eight in a row and was getting better and better. With more focused planning, she could've won three Classics.

Raven's Pass has been in A LOT MORE race's this year than Curlin, and Big Brown would not have beaten Raven's Pass or The Navigator!!

Does he hate the Huns?

folks, curlin is still one of the best ever on dirt. This synthetic racing is sure exciting though!

The ground was rattling on the day of the QEII. Don't know why you think it was soft. Sure, dosen't Raven's Pass only act on a fast surface too.

i cant beleive casino drive was LAST (or atleast thats what i think he placed). and i really wanted curlin to win but it was too bad he placed 4th :(

I wouldn't be so sure. On a proper, quick turf surface I don't think he'd beat the first two over a mile now, and I'm far from certain he'd beat RP over a mile on synthetic. Would he have had the speed in the BCC? I doubt it.

Was a travesty that Jimmy Fortune lost the ride to Frankie but that’s racing for you I doubled him up with Gosdens other winner

We have to find a way of letting horses compete internationally. That means agreeing on a surface and a drugs policy. This Cup was a move in the right direction - for the racehorse.

One thing I like about horse racing is that horses don't tell the "experts" much of anything, and keep lots of secrets to themselves. Obviously, Raven's Pass was far more "horse" than the smart guys suspected. I attribute some of his "heart" to that Northern Dancer, and Secretariat blood back there. It came out well.

The world outside America does not utilise the dirt surface for a variety of reasons - American race fans are very much aware of the drawbacks. Horses were born to run on grass - makes sense to have something that most closely resembles it. I notice you choose to ignore the comment about drugs. This is a problem that must be dealt with. If you listen to the commentary he screams 'can you believe it' as Curlin moves up. Plenty of other horses looked sweet at the time. Listen and look.

i'll give you that but give me the fact that Raven is way better on synthetic and turf, and we don't know that he isn't a dirt horse, he's only three

BTW, for everyone complaining about the track, at least no horses died, like George Washington did in the damned MUD last year.

OK - the reason there is a move towards synthetics is because they are kinder to a horse's action than dirt. They resemble a good cover of grass in some ways, and surely thats a good thing? Above all though, American racing has to deal with the drugs issue. Why is that so hard?

i am a true racing fan f.y.i and just because i don't like curlin i'm not? Raven's Pass was clearly a better calibur horse on BC Day and simply outran the former Horse of the Year. I love Stardom Bound, Go Between, Henrythenavigator, Barbaro, Man O' War, Affirmed, Ruffian, Forego, Point Given, Mariah's Storm, Afleet Alex, Whirlaway, A.P. Arrow, Storm Cat, A.P. Indy and love watching them run. They are beautiful when they simply stand in front of you, I don't see Curlin that way.

I think Zenyatta could've beaten this field. She was 8 and oh coming to the Breeders Cup and chose the Lady's Classic instead. When the field bunched up at the top of the stretch, I could see Zenyatta going wide and chasing down the leaders. At 4 years old, and racing at Santa Anita, Zenyatta could've.

You don't go calling a horse the winner before they reach the straight like this idiot "look at Curlin go is this believable?" Ravens Pass and HTN were a class above this field and been battling against each other all year taking turns to win

For once, European horses can compete against the Americans on a level playing field now that steroids are banned - and look what we can do - Go Frankie!

who got owned? Curlin AND Casino Drive! Go Raven's Pass! Both Curlin and Casino Drive couldn't live up to the pressure! Whoop!

big brown wouldve whooped em all

Raven's Pass is obviously a way better horse then Curlin considering that he has never raced on synthetic tracks, and was only supposed to be a turf miler

Curlin rarely won against great horses like Raven's Pass, Rags To Riches, and Red Rocks. He just didnt have the power to outrun them