DEL MAR, Calif. - Yibir was reluctant to end his 2021 season when he ran past the finish as the winner of Saturday’s Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Turf at Del Mar. “He’s a special horse and I couldn’t pull him up,” jockey William Buick said. Yibir ($19) needed 2:25.90 to run 1 1/2 miles at Del Mar to win the richest race of his career in the $3.68 million BC Turf. He earned a 105 Beyer Speed Figure. For Buick, the journey encompassed about three races. Buick found himself on a 3-year-old gelding in Yibir, who was tough to handle for the first seven furlongs. Yibir settled into a better rhythm in the final run on the backstretch, and showed a furious rally to pass 12 of his 13 rivals in the final quarter-mile. :: BREEDERS’ CUP 2021: See DRF’s special section with recaps, results, charts, news, and more for each division “Unbelievable, that was,” Buick said, describing Yibir’s kick. Yibir gave Buick, trainer Charlie Appleby, and owner Godolphin Racing their third win of the two-day Breeders’ Cup programs at Del Mar. The team won the Juvenile Turf with Modern Games on Friday and the Mile earlier on Saturday with Space Blues. Godolphin and Appleby also had two horses scratched at the gate in Albahr in the Juvenile Turf and Master of The Seas in the Mile. Yibir was the 8-1 fourth choice in the BC Turf on the strength of a win in the Jockey Club Derby at Belmont Park in September in his first start in the United States. In that race, at 1 1/2 miles, Yibir closed from last of seven to win by 2 3/4 lengths. In the BC Turf, Yibir was 13th for the first mile, not always giving Buick an easy time. “He pulled hard,” Buick said. “I thought he was doing too much, but into the [backstretch] he dropped in a good mile and half-mile staying in rhythm. “I was hoping that he stayed like that to the finish because he has an amazingly strong finish.” Yibir benefited from a solid pace of 48.38 for the first half-mile set by Tribhuvan, who was closely tracked by Acclimate. At one point, those two were four lengths clear of the rest of the field. Tribhuvan led by two lengths with a half-mile remaining, but relinquished the lead on the turn. Broome, one of four runners in the field trained by Aidan O’Brien of Ireland, took the lead in early stretch, holding an advantage of 1 1/2 lengths with a furlong remaining. It was a short-lived advantage. “On the turn, I could see Broome was gone, but I was always confident in picking him up,” Buick said. Broome (9-1) closed from 10th to hold a temporary lead, giving jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. the hope of a win. Yibir caught Broome in the final sixteenth to win by a half-length. :: Join DRF Bets and play the races with a $250 First Deposit Bonus. Click to learn more. “When I got to the quarter-pole, I thought I had so much horse and I thought I’d win the race,” Ortiz said. “That horse just kept coming.” Broome finished 1 1/2 lengths in front of Teona, a 3-year-old filly from England. Teona (9-1) was eighth early and closed steadily under jockey David Egan to run one of the finest races in her seven-race career. Teona won the Group 1 Prix Vermeille for fillies and mares at Longchamp on Sept. 12. “We had a live chance and she showed that,” Egan said. “We had a lovely trip. I thought I made a winning move.” Japan, trained by O’Brien, finished fourth, followed by Channel Maker, Bolshoi Ballet, Sisfahan, Rockemperor, Walton Street, Gufo, Tarnawa, Astronaut, Tribhuvan, and Acclimate. Walton Street, winner of the Grade 1 Canadian International at Woodbine in his North American debut on Sept. 18, also races for Godolphin and Appleby. Channel Maker was added to the field on Thursday after the late scratches of American contenders Domestic Spending and United. Channel Maker, trained by Bill Mott, had the best finish of an America-based horse. Tarnawa, the winner of the 2020 BC Turf at Keeneland, was last for the first half-mile and as close as ninth before fading to finish about 10 lengths behind Yibir in her first start since a second on heavy turf in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe in Paris on Oct. 3. Tarnawa was the 2-1 favorite. “She felt like a filly that was flat,” jockey Colin Keane said. “I think France took its toll.” Yibir, by Dubawi, has won his last three starts, and three of his last five races since he was gelded. Appleby said Yibir has his quirks, but that gelding him was key to finding top-class results. “William gave him a great ride,” Appleby said. “It was a hard ride. I could see he was taking William on. To have that finish, full testament to the horse and the sort of engine he does have.” Bred by Godolphin in England, Yibir has won 6 of 12 starts and has earned $2,895,580. The current winning streak began in the Group 2 Great Voltigeur Stakes for 3-year-olds at York Racecourse in England in August. The BC Turf was Yibir’s first start against older horses. He has every chance to be dominant in the division on both sides of the Atlantic in 2022.