Aidan O’Brien’s Breeders’ Cup focus is on City of Troy’s attempt to finally secure him an elusive Classic success, although victory in Saturday night’s $7 million (€6.5 million) highlight could also propel the Irishman towards becoming the meeting’s most successful trainer.
Only veteran D Wayne Lukas has handled more Breeders’ Cup winners in the 40-year history of US racing’s showpiece event. Lukas’s 20-winner mark is two more than O’Brien’s 18 – a mark he shares with America’s top two current handlers, Bob Baffert and Chad Brown.
Considering his first Breeders’ Cup runner, Second Empire, was in 1998, and his first winner, Johannesburg, three years later, it is an astonishing rate of success for an overseas trainer against the best of the US.
O’Brien’s seven Turf victories, along with half a dozen in the Juvenile Turf, make up the bulk of that tally, while Lake Victoria is set to be a short-priced favourite to add to Meditate’s 2022 success in the Juvenile Fillies.
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However, this 41st Breeders’ Cup at the Del Mar track on the Pacific coast north of San Diego will revolve around City of Troy trying to secure the Ballydoyle operation a long-sought-for success in the mile-and-a-quarter Classic on dirt.
O’Brien has never come closer than Giant’s Causeway’s narrow defeat to Tiznow 24 years ago. He has had 17 starters in the race overall, including legendary names such as Galileo (2002) and Hawk Wing (2003), all of whom came up short when asked to switch to dirt.
Only the 133-1 shot Arcangues in 1993 has gone from Europe to win America’s richest prize on dirt, but City of Troy is favourite on both sides of the Atlantic to emerge on top in what could be a tripartite clash.
Forever Young leads a Japanese challenge on the Classic, while the main home hope is Fierceness – this year’s Travers hero – who it has been confirmed will retire to Coolmore’s US base at Ashford Stud in Kentucky once his racing career is over.
“The time off since the Travers has done him well and we’re all very pleased with how he is heading into the race,” said a spokesman for Fierceness’s ownership.
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“I think he is America’s best hope and people are narrowing it down to three: the Japanese horse Forever Young, City of Troy representing Europe, and then there’s Fierceness representing America. They seem to be the big three.
“Everyone had kind of questioned Fierceness’s form, but I think now he has proven himself and has put together two very good races and we are past that. We’re counting on him to produce his best form.”
O’Brien’s Breeders’ Cup team arrived in California on Saturday and the important draw for post position was set to take place just before midnight on Monday. That draw will be vital for some races, particularly the Mile around Del Mar’s famously tight inner Turf course.
Diego Velazquez is Ballydoyle’s main hope for that, although it is Donnacha O’Brien’s Porta Fortuna who is among the favourites for the race.
In other news, the appeal from Alphonse Le Grande’s connections against his disqualification from the Newmarket Cesarewitch earlier this month will be heard by a British Horseracing Authority (BHA) judicial panel on November 14th. The Cathy O’Leary-trained horse was thrown out after jockey Jamie Powell breached BHA whip rules by striking the horse 10 times.
Elsewhere, due to fears over ground conditions at Down Royal this week, Gordon Elliott has given his Gold Cup runner Gerri Colombe and star mare Brighterdaysahead alternative entries at Wetherby on Saturday.
Brighterdaysahead has a Grade Three entry at Down Royal on Friday where ground conditions are currently good, with some watering taking place. Gerri Colombe is favourite for Saturday’s Ladbrokes Champion Chase but has been given a backup in Wetherby’s Charlie Hall Chase.
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