Newmarket preview: Oratorio is set to start favourite for today's Emirates Airlines Champion Stakes and victory will provide the Aidan O'Brien trained colt with a remarkable big race treble.
Kieren Fallon's mount has already secured the Eclipse and the Irish Champion Stakes this season and a treble in Europe's major mile and a quarter prizes has only been achieved once before by Pilsudski in 1997.
Ordinarily that prospect, along with the appearance of the top filly Alexander Goldrun in the big race, would light Champions Day on its own. But as the flat season draws to a close there are any number of intriguing little subplots to this afternoon's action at Newmarket.
O'Brien's tussle with Michael Stoute for the British trainer's championship could wind up today if either man can secure the Champion Stakes itself and there is also a Darley Dewhurst Stakes that may yet result in the crowning of Europe's champion two-year-old.
There is also the continuing tension between the sport's major superpowers, John Magnier's Coolmore Stud and the Maktoum family, which could present some unique photo opportunities today as the former have the favourites for the two main races sponsored by the latter.
Such matters weren't concerning O'Brien yesterday however as he put the finishing touches to Oratorio and continued to wrestle with the enviable problem of whether to run either George Washington or Horatio Nelson in the Dewhurst.
The ground was continuing to dry out at Newmarket yesterday and O'Brien conceded that a decision as to whether George Washington will run might not be finally made until this morning.
"George would like the ground good or better while Horatio wouldn't mind it on the easy side," he said before confirming again that only one of the star juveniles would run.
"Horatio has come out of Longchamp very well and we're very happy with him," O'Brien added. "George has had a good break since the National Stakes and things have gone smoothly with him."
Fallon's judgment will be critical after riding at Newmarket yesterday but either way the jockey and his boss will be central to a substantial Irish raid on British racing's headquarters.
Tiger Dance runs for Ballydoyle in the opening Challenge Stakes and the O'Brien team will also be represented in the Cesarewitch by the three year old Hippodrome while a trio of fillies, Beauty Bright, Oh How Lovely and Queen Cleopatra, take in the Rockfel Stakes.
In addition to Alexander Goldrun, Jim Bolger also has Abigail Pett in the Rockfel and Democratic Deficit will line up alongside Fallon's mount Mullins Bay in the concluding Group Three Lexus Stakes.
Irish international interest doesn't end there however with David Wachman's Luas Line likely to start favourite to secure a second Grade One prize of the season in America tonight.
Luas Line is scheduled to take on six opponents in the $500,000 Queen Elizabeth II Cup at Keeneland and the top US jockey John Velazquez is flying from New York to team up with the filly he won the Garden City on at Belmont last month. Dermot Weld's Miss Mambo, with Javier Castellano on board, is due to run at Belmont tonight in the $100,000 Grade Three Athenia Handicap but rain in New York means the race could yet be switched to the main dirt track.
