Mullins and Mott magic heads for Melbourne after Breeders’ Cup successes

Melbourne Cup-bound trainers Willie Mullins and Bill Mott head to Flemington off the best possible results, with both trainers having won Breeders’ Cup races at the famous meeting at Del Mar.

Mullins produced a stunning success in the Breeders Cup Turf, with last start Ebor Handicap winner Ethical Diamond, a $26 shot, charging home to upset Godolphin hope Rebels Romance and El Cordobes and win emphatically.

The Aidan O’Brien-trained Minnie Hauk started favourite in the race, and while she took the lead on straightening, a wide run took its toll and she finished sixth.

Mullins, who has Absurde in Tuesday’s Melbourne Cup, claimed his first Breeders’ Cup success with a horse who had been a winner over maiden hurdle at Punchestown earlier this year.

“I’ll have to give a shout-out to David Casey, who’s down in Australia, minding Absurde,” Mullins said.

“He does a lot of my entries, and he said, let’s do the Breeders’ Cup with this fellow. And I said that’s a bit mad, but David was instrumental in that choice.” 

It was also a first Breeders’ Cup win for champion Irish jockey Dylan Browne McMonagle.

“It’s an unbelievable training performance, he’s something else,” he said.

“He was expecting him to throw in a nice race to be placed would be huge. I was quietly confident myself beforehand.”

“His form is very, very good. He’s a horse that likes to relax, and when he can relax, he can do everything good. He won the Ebor this year from his last start in York, and it was like he joined in at the two pole, and it takes a good horse to do that.”

Willie Mullins – @BreedersCup winning trainer

Ethical Diamond sparkles in the #BC25 Turf 🚀 pic.twitter.com/DmL8Eb5cYf

— Racing TV (@RacingTV) November 1, 2025

Earlier, Hall Of Fame trainer Bill Mott, who has his first Melbourne Cup runner, Parchment Party on Tuesday, celebrated a Breeders’ Cup win with front-runner Scylla in the Distaff.

The Juddmonte-owned and bred mare was a $7.50 chance but travelled more like an odds-on chance with Junior Alvarado setting the tempo. Even money favourite Seismic Beauty blundered shortly after the start and was a non-player throughout, allowing Scylla to dominate and run away a five and a half length win.

Mott, like Mullins, is now headed to Melbourne with Parchment Party, the Belmont Gold Cup winner, to become the first American-trained horses to tackle the Flemington race.

The victory helped to atone for Mott’s disappointment when his Kentucky Derby winner Sovereignty was withdrawn from the Breeders’ Cup Classic.

WOW! SCYLLA IS THE LONGINES BREEDERS’ CUP DISTAFF QUEEN! 👑#BC25 @BreedersCup pic.twitter.com/cZcjlJr4i8

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— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) November 1, 2025

That race was won by Japanese star Forever Young, who defied a swarm of local hopes, to prevail for trainer Yoshito Yahagi and jockey Ryusei Sakai, who had cut his teeth as a young jockey in South Australia.

Forever Young, a famous victor of this year’s Saudi Cup, was third in this race last year and third in the 2023 Kentucky Derby but made the most of his third trip to the United States.

The Breeders’ Cup Mile was taken out by the Charlie Appleby-trained Notable Speech, who surged along the rail under William Buick to give Godolphin four of the last five editions of the race.

Gezora, a daughter of Almanzor, won the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf, Nysos claimed the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile. Bentornato the Sprint and Shisospicy the Turf Sprint.