Man of Iron wins Breeders' Marathon

ARCADIA, Calif., Nov. 6 (UPI) -- Man of Iron got through along the rail in the stretch run and just nipped Cloudy's Knight at the wire Friday to win the $500,000 Breeders' Cup Marathon.

With Johnny Murtagh riding, Man of Iron stayed behind a measured pace in the 1 3/4-mile race. Once Cloudy's Knight got to the lead turning for home, Murtagh sent Man of Iron through on the inside, opened a lead and then just withstood a second effort by the 9-year-old Cloudy's Knight. The favorite, Mastery, finished third, lacking a late punch.

Man of Iron, a 3-year-old son of Giant's Causeway, ran his last three races over artificial surfaces in Ireland, similar to the Pro-Ride surface at Santa Anita. Kentucky-bred Man of Iron now has four wins in 10 lifetime starts. All of his previous races were in Ireland.

Aidan O'Brien is the winning trainer.