Bob Baffert landed the Breeders' Cup Sprint for the fourth time in nine years and the fifth time overall, despite missing his main hope.
He had to scratch Lord Nelson from the race earlier in the week but his Drefong proved well up to the job.
The three-year-old raced up with a strong pace from the off but got the better of front-running Masochistic in the straight scored by a length and a quarter.
Baffert, winning his 13th Breeders' Cup race, said: "I knew he couldn't have been any better and was peaking but we didn't know quite how fast he was.
"What a fight that was down the stretch! Turning in I thought we would be second but at the eighth-pole I could see we were digging in.
"He's a great sprinter and a beautiful horse."
