Breeders' Cup Preview: Just four Irish-trained horses have ever won at the Breeders' Cup but Azamour could yet add his name to that illustrious list at the 21st edition of racing's unofficial world championships at Belmont Park tonight.
America's industry showcase has long since pinned the "world championship" logo to its $14-million lapel and even if there is no Far Eastern star here, or indeed the official best horse in the world right now, Hurricane Run, the hype isn't all that hollow.
Even Starcraft's appearance in the $4-million Classic brings Australia to the extravaganza but despite the procession of world stars littering the back stretch this week most eyes have been gazing mournfully skyward.
A record 20 inches of rain this month threatened to be added to even more with the remnants of Hurricane Wilma, which at the final moment evidently felt New York had been soaked enough.
The fallout, however, is still a grass track that has been far from the flint-like surface that Azamour and the six other Irish horses had been expecting and hoping for.
John Oxx and Michael Kinane have examined the turf track with distaste and pronounced it unsuitable for Azamour's final career start. But the brilliant King George winner still takes his chance and Azamour's raw class will still make him a force to be reckoned with.
Oxx's sole previous Breeders' Cup runner was a winner when Ridgewood Pearl slogged through a bog here 10 years ago in the Mile but there were some encouraging reports from New York yesterday that the ground was drying out significantly.
If, indeed, the going ultimately veers more towards good than soft then Azamour's chance will increase dramatically. And at a meeting which provides a rare example of European entente cordiale that will be good news for the visitors.
The French have the most impressive Breeders' Cup record of all among Europeans and last year's Arc hero, Bago, and this year's Arc fourth, Shirocco, pitch up in the Turf alongside Azamour and the Ballydoyle hope Ace.
Bago's trainer Jonathon Pease has had just five Breeders' Cup runners in the past, which have yielded two wins and a second. Not for the first time the $2-million Turf looks our best chance.
But it's the Classic that is the real deal for America. A mile and a quarter on dirt is the benchmark for local excellence. Only one of 26 European runners in the race have come out on top and that was the greatest outsider in Breeders' Cup history, the 140 to 1 Arcangues in 1993.
This time round Starcraft is joined by the British outsider Jack Sullivan and Aidan O'Brien's Oratorio, who will try to go one better than Giant's Causeway in 2000. Ballydoyle have a habit of throwing their best at this race - Galileo in 2001 and Hawk Wing in 2003 were also beaten - but the commercial payoff for success would be immense. Oratorio has the talent and the toughness to encourage some hope of an Irish breakthrough, yet Azamour still looks the best hope of an addition to Royal Academy, Ridgewood Pearl, Johannesburg and High Chaparral (twice).
