AHEAD of the Breeders’ Cup, the home team have been putting some of the finishing touches to their preparations for Santa Anita on November 1st and 2nd, though all did not go as planned last weekend for some of the leading candidates.

McKinzie suffered a reverse in the Grade 1 Awesome Again Stakes at Santa Anita, but it was by no means a bad effort, as he went down by a couple of lengths to the Pacific Classic third Mongolian Groom while conceding him weight.

They both seem to have run to about 124 in a well-run race in which McKinzie went wider. The runner-up has retained his place at the head of the betting for the Breeders’ Cup Classic (also high up in the market for the Dirt Mile) and he would be a tough, but not impossible, nut to crack if any Europeans fancy having a go.

Two who could take him on from the home contingent are Vino Rosso and Code Of Honor, who fought out a head-bobbing finish to the Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont, the former prevailing by a nose but losing the race in the stewards’ room due to a Circus Maximus/Romanised-like incident.

I have figures of 123 and 125 respectively on them, with the Kentucky Derby-second and Travers winner Code Of Honor impressing with his consistency as much as anything.

Imperial Hint might not have run quite to his 126 best in winning the Grade 1 Vosburgh Stakes at Belmont by just a nose from 123-rated Firenze Fire but continues to look the biggest rival to 129-rated Shancelot for the Breeders’ Cup Sprint given that Mitole (127) could be better at a mile.

Midnight Bisou made it seven wins out of seven starts this year readily enough in the Grade 2 Beldame Stakes at Belmont, running to about 121 compared to her previous peak of 127, and rightly remains favourite for the Breeders’ Cup Distaff.

I WILL be travelling to Longchamp on Sunday for the Arc which promises to be an epic occasion whatever the outcome.

The brilliant Enable will be favourite, and probably at odds on, to gain a historic third success, but I doubt this will be a cakewalk, as indeed it wasn’t last year.

At various stages, I have put up French King at 66/1 and Sottsass at 12/1 on these pages, but my hopes are perhaps strongest for Ghaiyyath

(also 12/1), whose 14-length romp in the Group 1 Grosser Preis Von Baden has since been boosted by the runner-up Donjah finishing third at a similar level in the Preis Von Europa at Cologne.

The Baden race has been won by some high-class horses, but never in such a fashion. If Ghaiyyath is in that sort of mood again then Enable may well have to be better than ever.