Breeders’ Cup 2023: Big Evs gives Appleby and Europeans perfect start

• Marquand leads home a 1-2-3 for European trainers
• Porta Fortuna narrowly loses out to Hard To Justify

Big Evs, Mick Appleby's first runner in the United States, never mind at the Breeders' Cup, got the European challenge at the 2023 meeting off to the perfect start here on Friday night, taking the lead a furlong from home and then holding the strong late run of Valiant Force by half a length in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint.

Tom Marquand was quickly away from the gates aboard Big Evs, though not quite as rapidly as Crimson Advocate, the Queen Mary winner at Royal Ascot in June, who led the field into the final turn.