Champion jockey-elect Pat Smullen is set for a first ever Breeders' Cup mount on Pine Dance after the colt's trainer, Dermot Weld, yesterday made no secret of his unhappiness with the ride Pine Dance received when beaten in the US on Friday night.
The Irish runner finished third behind Kiss A Native in the $250,000 Pegasus Handicap at Meadowlands after what Weld feels was a less than brilliant effort from the American jockey, Michael McCarthy.
"I rarely criticise jockeys in public but Michael McCarthy had the horse way too far back in the race. Ridden more conveniently I have no doubt the horse would have won. Pine Dance met a lot of traffic problems, which can happen when racing from behind in America, but he was very unlucky," said Weld.
Kiss A Native won the New York race by five lengths, with Cool N Collective keeping Pine Dance out of second by just a nose. However, Weld did confirm that the Breeders' Cup Classic is next on Pine Dance's agenda and that the horse is already in Kentucky.
"The Breeders' Cup Classic is the plan and the likelihood is that Pat Smullen will go out to ride him and have his first ride on dirt. I think it's only right. He's about to become champion jockey," said Weld who added: "Pine Dance has come a long way since winning at Gowran Park!"
The Irish challenge at Churchill Downs is already one short, however, after Aidan O'Brien reported yesterday that La Vida Loca, the sole European hope for the Juvenile fillies race, will not be travelling with the rest of the Ballydoyle team tomorrow.
"La Vida Loca probably won't go and she's run her last race for me," said O'Brien. "It's so far, so good with the rest of them and they will be flown direct on Tuesday."
Before their American journey, however, O'Brien and jockey Michael Kinane will have a big say at Leopardstown this afternoon when the feature is the Killavullan Stakes.
O'Brien has already won the Group Three contest with Shell Ginger (1996), Kincarra Palace (1997) and Monashee Mountain last year. This time he relies on the Curragh winner, Perigee Mountain, who may not be among the absolute elite of the crop at Ballydoyle but his presence is significant considering the formlines O'Brien has to everything else in the race.
O'Brien and Kinane can also take both maidens with Snow- flake and the Sadler's Wells newcomer, Mediterranean, but it's the ex-O'Brien Chimes At Mid- night who stands out on the ratings for the listed Trigo Stakes.
Belmont Park's Turf Classic was an ambitious tilt for the Luke Comer-trained horse last time but the ground looks to be right in his favour today.
