Saratoga
YOU can’t help but feel European trainers are missing a trick in not engaging more on the US turf scene with blacktype and decent prize money up for grabs this weekend but few are making the journey.
Charlie Appleby’s Nations Pride is on his travels again and lines up under William Buick in the Grade 1 Sword Dancer (10.44pm), his first appearance since he was down the field in the Dubai Turf in April.
He is joined by the four-year-old Frankel gelding El Cordobes, the mount of Flavien Prat and winner last time of the Group 2 Princess Of Wales’s Stakes at Newmarket.
On this weekend last year, Nations Pride won the Arlington Million at Colonial Downs and also has a win in the Grade 1 Canadian International and Saratoga Derby Invitational Stakes to his name.
His best form is probably at shorter than this mile and a half but he did win the Grade 3 Jockey Club Derby Invitational Stakes over the distance at three.
Top US turf horse Far Bridge is the US leader with three graded race wins this season, and looked as good as ever at five, in winning the Grade 2 Bowling Green Stakes last time. He is adaptable from the front or behind and that form may be too good for the Europeans.
Saratoga Oaks
There are no Europeans in the six-runner Grade 2 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Oaks Invitational (10.05pm) though four of them are Irish-bred, and only one is by a US based sire in Justify.
Go Go Boots, a Night Of Thunder filly who was down the field in the Oaks at Epsom and fourth in the Ribblesdale at Royal Ascot now runs for trainer Miguel Clement and owner Bobby Flay.
Chad Brown is the first port of call in these races and Opulent Restraint, a Dubawi filly bred by White Birch Farm, was third in the Belmont Oaks.
But the market leader is the unbeaten Irish-bred Zarak filly Laurelin, winner of her four starts and successful last time in the Penn Oaks for Graham Motion.
Brendan Walsh’s Sigh No More comes of a Monmouth Park win in a blacktype contest having won the Group 3 Eyrefield Stakes at Leopardstown last year, beating Trinity College, for Joseph O’Brien and Bronsan Racing.
Colonial Downs
UK trainer Alice Haynes hopes Cairo can continue riding on the back of his fine third at Royal Ascot when challenging for the Arlington Million (10.54pm) at Colonial Downs.
Cairo - who was second to then-stablemate Paddington in the Irish 2000 Guineas when trained by Aidan O’Brien – put in a fine effort at 100/1 as Docklands narrowly defeated Rosallion in the Group 1 Queen Anne Stakes at the Royal meeting.
It’s an intriguing field as Cairo, with Irishman Ben Curtis in the saddle, will be taking on the 2024 Kentucky Derby winner Mystik Dan.
That horse was fourth on his most recent run in a hot Grade 1 Stephen Foster Stakes on dirt.
Mystik Dan and regular rider Brian Hernandez Jr. will break from the rail, likely forcing Hernandez to go close to the lead on his first time on turf.
“I’d always thought that coming to America would suit him, and having discussed it with the owner, going into Ascot we very much had it in our minds,” Haynes told her yard sponsor, Coral this week. “He was absolutely flying at home so I had high hopes he would run a big race, but even so, to finish third in a field of that quality did surprise me, in the best possible way obviously!
“He had a couple of canters on the dirt when he first got here and his latest piece of work has been on the turf, under his big-race pilot Ben Curtis.
“Ben actually contacted us when he saw we were running the horse over here and I think he will be a really good fit for the horse.
One better
Shug McGaughey’s Intregation heads the field for the Million as he aims to go one better than last year when Nations Pride beat him and he has two more Grade 1 second places this season in the Resorts World Casino Manhattan Stakes at Saratoga and the Maker’s Mark Mile Stakes at Keeneland. It looks his race to lose.
The Grade 2 Beverley D Stakes at Colonial Downs only has six runners and the Irish-bred favourite Be Your Best won the Grade 1 Gamely Stakes last time, as well as the Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup Filly and Mare Turf Invitational for Saffie Joseph. Ben Curtis takes the ride on Germany-bred Spanish Eyes for Brendan Walsh, on her third outing stateside.
Earlier on the card, the Grade 2 Secretariat Stakes, downgraded from a Grade 1 a few years ago, over a mile for three-year-old colts is headed by Dream On for Mark Casse and Javier Castellano. He is seeking a hat-trick and coming off a win in the Grade 3 Penn Mile Stakes.
Graham Motion’s Irish-bred End Of Romance could have a squeak, having won twice in Britain for Karl Burke last season.
THE Group 1 Westminster 135. Grosser Preis von Berlin at Berlin-Hoppegarten on Sunday looks a fine opportunity for Rebel’s Romance to gain his eighth Group 1 success for Godolphin and Charlie Appleby, with Billy Loughnane taking the ride. Only five line up against him with Andre Fabre’s 2023 Group 1 Longines Hong Kong Vase winner Junko holding the best form.
Even though it is soon after his King George effort, Rebel’s Romance should just be too good in a race he won back 2022.