Horse racing-Commanding Highland Reel wins Breeders' Turf

By Mark Lamport-Stokes ARCADIA, California, Nov 5 (Reuters) - Irish raider Highland Reel led nearly the whole way to upstage favourite Flintshire with a commanding victory by a length and three-quarters in the $4 million Breeders' Cup Turf at Santa Anita Park on Saturday. Expertly ridden by Seamus Heffernan in bright afternoon sunshine, the four-year-old colt powered to the front early and comfortably held off a late surge down the stretch by Flintshire, who also placed second in the 1-1/2 mile race in 2014. Ireland-bred Found, who won the prestigious Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe at Chantilly last month and was the joint second choice with Highland Reel for the Turf, finished a further two-and-a-quarter lengths back in third. It was the second win in eight starts this year for the well-travelled Highland Reel, who started at 7/2. He improved his career record to seven-for-19. (Editing by Andrew Both)