MAN OF IRON gave Europe and Aidan O’Brien the perfect possible start to the weekend by winning the Breeders’ Cup Marathon at Santa Anita last night.

While all European interest surrounded St Leger winner Mastery and Henry Cecil’s Father Time, Man Of Iron slipped under the radar for O’Brien’s fourth Breeders’ Cup winner.

Cloudy’s Knight appeared to have his rivals cooked, especially when he saw off Godolphin’s Mastery, but Johnny Murtagh brought Man Of Iron with a withering run near the rail to snatch victory by a nose from the American veteran inside the final strides.

O’Brien and Murtagh were out of luck with Lillie Langtry in the next as Tapitsfly, trained by Dale Romans and ridden by Robby Albarado, won the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf.

Romans said: “She just skipped across the ground and I guess everybody saw it – everybody’s been writing about how well she moves.

“She was moving so well and she’s a great filly — she liked the ground. Nobody deserves a big winner more than (owner) Frank Jones. He’s been in the game for 30 to 40 years and was my Dad’s primary client. When my Dad passed away I took over his horses – it’s an emotional winner.”

O’Brien said of Lillie Langtry: “Ideally she might prefer a little more ease in the surface but Johnny (Murtagh) said it was a rough race and she got knocked around a few times. It may be the end of a long season but that was definitely not her.”

Jockey Todd Pletcher said of runner-up Rose Catherine: “The winner stalked her all of the way and was that bit better.”