Albertus Maximus won the inaugural running of the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile under a cool ride from Garrett Gomez.

Vladimir Cerin's charge was settled way off the early pace set by Two Step Salsa but quickened impressively to give Gomez his sixth Breeders' Cup race and his second of the weekend after Ventura on Friday.

The short-priced favourite Well Armed was never travelling and finished in the rear, as did Charles O'Brien's Lord Admiral who met trouble in running under Johnny Murtagh.

Gomez said after the length-and-a-quarter triumph: "I was watching Well Armed and knew he was in trouble by the first turn so when I got to the three-eighths pole I sat and waited to see what happened.

"My hand was forced for a second but it worked out perfect."

Cerin added: "Garrett had him in a great position by the first turn. The Red Sea parted and he got there.

"It was a superlative performance by a superlative athlete. He's just a great horse and I'm lucky to have him."

Murtagh said: "He ran well but I just got a bit squeezed a quarter of a mile out and hit a bit of trouble there."

Marianne Chase, co-owner of Albertus Maximus, said: "Sometimes things work out for the best. It was with a very heavy heart that we moved him but Gary (Mandella) and I both felt were going backwards with the horse. We couldn't figure him out, we thought he was one thing or another thing.

"Finally, sometimes by changing things, with new eyes looking at a talent, or a non-talent, Vladimir just had the key."