The Met Mile takes place on Monday, and it’s generating some interest overseas; Britain’s Racing Post seems more excited about seeing Quality Road back in action than most of our domestic racing press does at this point – the race will even be shown live on At The Races.  (Will their [...]]]>

The equine Bill Bryson?

The Met Mile takes place on Monday, and it’s generating some interest overseas; Britain’s Racing Post seems more excited about seeing Quality Road back in action than most of our domestic racing press does at this point – the race will even be shown live on At The Races.  (Will their online streaming be more effective than the NTRA’s? We suspect so). They consider Quality Road the ‘top-rated horse in the world’ and give fulsome praise to his Donn Handicap victory.  By some measure, he seems to have moved into that rare category – American Things More Appreciated Abroad  – which is normally inhabited by writers or musicians like Suzi Quatro or Chrissie Hynde. While trainer Todd Pletcher is no doubt looking forward to seeing his grownup star in action, he had to appreciate the way the publication framed his thoughts on Quality Road’s last work:

“I thought it all went very, very well,” added the Kentucky Derby-winning trainer.

The one negative about the race is that Quality Road will have very little competition; Warrior’s Reward and Kensei are nice horses, but are nowhere in the same league. I would be intrigued to see him head to Royal Ascot to see where he fits in with Europe’s top horses; while he’s certainly very effective on dirt, he’s got that as-yet-untapped Antipodean pedigree on his dam’s side – he could be equally at home on grass (or synthetics). After all, versatility is a fine thing – just ask Einstein or Blame.

Of course, there is life beyond racing; the World Cup is almost upon us, so Team Superfecta will be much distracted by that in the coming weeks.  We’ll be at the US-Turkey friendly on Saturday, and will likely go into full World Cup saturation mode following the Belmont.  You have been warned!

2-year-old male: Lookin at LuckyAs per usual with the juvenile awards, there was no surprise here. His three G1 wins sealed the deal, and he looks to improve this year. We’ll soon find out if [...]]]> Last night, they handed out a few awards for horse racing – you may have heard a bit about it.

2-year-old male: Lookin at Lucky
As per usual with the juvenile awards, there was no surprise here. His three G1 wins sealed the deal, and he looks to improve this year. We’ll soon find out if he likes real dirt, but trainer Bob Baffert seems quite happy with things thus far.

2-year-old filly: She Be Wild
While this category had a little more competition, She Be Wild has a good backstory – former claimer, unwanted at auction wins four out of five, including the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies. Both dirt and turf could be in her future – versatility FTW!

Turf Male: Gio Ponti
A well-deserved bit of recognition for a horse who showed up just about everywhere – but who truly excelled on the grass. And the night was just beginning for him…

Turf Female: Goldikova
While I respect the notion that the Eclipse Award winner should have more than one start in the US, I am quite happy to toss that guideline out when the horse in question is as overwhelmingly superior as Goldikova is. Her repeat of Miesque’s back-to-back Mile victories, under the tutelage of Miesque’s former jockey, Freddie Head, completes an undeniably satisfying circuit – and the news that she’s aiming to capture a third Breeders’ Cup victory this year should certainly be rewarded. Given the excitement over Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta, it may be difficult to recall that the opportunity to see a horse of Goldikova’s caliber is rare indeed – and it should be celebrated.

Steeplechaser: Mixed Up
How often does a 10-year-old PA-bred win an Eclipse Award? And hey, he doesn’t even take Lasix. These are Good Things.

Breeder: Juddmonte Farms
These awards tend to follow the money, and it’s certainly hard to argue with Juddmonte’s success in producing top-level horses. There were a few stray votes for Dolphus Morrison for breeding Rachel Alexandra – even if he did not want to truly unleash her talents.

Female Sprinter: Informed Decision
The overwhelming pick of her division (although one has to assume that Ventura’s positioning in both this category and the Turf Female category may have hurt her chances), Informed Decision won at nearly every track she visited, under a variety of conditions – and the best news is that she’ll be back later this spring to extend her winning streak.

Male Sprinter: Kodiak Kowboy
Although he had a respectable career as a 2 and 3-year-old, Kodiak Kowboy truly had the chance to prove himself as a 4-year-old, winning as a sprinter and miler. He goes to stud with a solid record of achievement.

3-year-old Male: Summer Bird
This was a no-brainer – but I am quite curious to know who cast the single vote for I Want Revenge. Trainer Tim Ice reiterated that we should be seeing him back on the track later this year; let’s hope his recovery continues in such an encouraging fashion.

3-year-old Female: Rachel Alexandra
The great filly took home the least-suspenseful award of the night – it was also the sole unanimous award (but more on that in a moment). Owner Jess Jackson’s acceptance speech was thoughtful, but at something approaching seven minutes, it could have used some judicious editing. But given that the award winners can’t speak for themselves, we can allow a little indulgence.

Owner: Godolphin Racing
This was one of the most competitive awards, with only five votes separating the winner from Jerry and Ann Moss. But as in the case of the Breeder category, the Eclipse voters tend to recognize revenue – but the narrow margin of victory demonstrates that there is also a desire to reward owners with a more personal touch.

Trainer: Steven Asmussen
Once again, you cannot argue with the numbers – or his great good fortune in having Rachel Alexandra drop into his lap (although her original trainer, Hal Wiggins, also received a few votes). While I may not be a fan of his record of medication violations, his staff clearly loves the horses they work with, so the award is as much an acknowledgement of their hard work.

Older Male: Gio Ponti
A double on the night for the versatile 4-year-old was clearly in the offing; as much as I love Einstein, based on this year’s wins, it had to go to Gio Ponti. He’s still flying under the radar in the eyes of the general public, and even the racing press sometimes overlooks his accomplishments, so it was entirely justified that he be doubly rewarded. The Blood-Horse points out that he is the first horse to win this award without a win on traditional dirt – so it’s particularly interesting. His future plans may involve the Dubai World Cup – that could end up a very competitive race indeed.

Older Female: Zenyatta
While this was another foregone conclusion, there was a single (protest?) vote from someone at the Daily Racing Form for Icon Project – presumably the backstory there will be revealed at some point. While I still believe she should have been crowned Horse of the Year last year, the news that she will return to the track this year means she may finally get to take home that honor; in any case, winning two consecutive Eclipse Awards and making history in the Breeders’ Cup Classic is certainly enough to consider without worrying about Horse of the Year – yet.

Apprentice Jockey: Christian Santiago Reyes
Further proof that Puerto Rico knows what it’s doing when it trains jockeys, this 19-year-old has a bright future – he would be wise to study the next winner.

Jockey: Julien Leparoux
It’s hard to imagine he won the Eclipse for Apprentice only four years ago – it seems he’s had nothing but success since arriving in the US. Clearly, the title of his Facebook fan group is on the right track.

Horse of the Year: Rachel Alexandra
In the end, it wasn’t even close: the votes were 130 to 99. That in no way reflects poorly on Zenyatta’s accomplishments – it simply honors the fact that during the past racing season, Rachel Alexandra had more opportunities to show off her immense talent, in a wider variety of venues – she won for her efforts throughout the year, not for a single race (regardless of how impressive that race may have been). But as I have said before, while Horse of the Year honors are important to some, a firm place in history means more in the long run. If we are lucky enough to see Rachel Alexandra take on Zenyatta, that would be tremendous – I’d like to see a Best of Five race series at a variety of different tracks. The difficulty will be getting other horses (male or female) into the gate to fill a race – but someone should certainly be working to set that up. Any takers?

10) Einstein wins the Big [...]]]> It almost seems we racing fans have experienced a karmic reversal this year; after the lows of the previous few years, we were treated to nothing less than history – live. So, without further ado, here are the top ten moments in horse racing for 2009, as seen from Superfecta HQ:

10) Einstein wins the Big ‘Cap
It was wonderful to see Einstein, a blog favorite for years, pick up a big win; this may not have been his best season, but it certainly had high points – this being the top. Hopefully his versatility and record of sheer hard work will be rewarded with a successful stud career.

9) Bambera wins the Clasico del Caribe
Yes, the Venezualan filly is the real deal. Sid Fernando is your man for all things Bambera – and he notes that we should see her Stateside in 2010. She’s won 15 of 17 starts – 10 of those were G1s, including her nation’s filly Triple Crown and most of the mixed-gender variety as well. Look out, Gulfstream!

Goldikova repeats in the Breeders’ Cup Mile
Let’s recall that the French mare was beating the boys long before it came into fashion this year – she handled them with no difficulty in last year’s Prix du Moulin and, of course, the Breeders’ Cup Mile. Trainer Freddie Head, who rode the great Miesque to her back-to-back Mile victories thinks she’s even better; she’s on track to come back next year to aim for a threepeat. Fingers crossed!

7) Yeats wins his fourth Ascot Gold Cup
The Times was right – it’s hard to imagine a more perfect swansong for the 8-year-old; he’s demonstrated time and again why he’s an all-time great. Here’s hoping his stamina and quality is recognized at stud – it will be hard to live up to the reception he received from fans after his victory.

6) Rachel Alexandra wins the Kentucky Oaks
Can you remember seeing anything like it? Rachel Alexandra would go on to demonstrate in the Mother Goose that against her peers (including a perfectly nice filly like Gabby’s Golden Gal), that’s just how she rolls – deal with it. Super filly? You bet.

5) Sea the Stars wins the Arc
That’s a lot of Group 1 winners finishing behind him – and it’s not every day you see a colt equal his mother’s success in that particular race. His win made him the first horse to win the 2,000 Guineas, Epsom Derby, and the Arc in the same year – and he did it all undefeated. While it’s easy to see the allure of getting the half-brother to über-stud Galileo into the shed, it’s a shame we’ll never really know what he might have been capable of.

4) Rachel Alexandra wins the Preakness
While I normally go to the Belmont, it takes something special to get me to Pimlico for the Preakness (largely because of the appalling state of the track) – but I was certainly not going to pass up a chance to see Rachel Alexandra take on the boys for the first time in person, and it was a beautiful thing. It’s only the second time I’ve seen the entire crowd cheering for one horse (the other being Smarty Jones coming into the Belmont with a Triple Crown on the line); it was to be the first time I would see that faith rewarded.

3) Rachel Alexandra wins the Haskell
What, you want me, the Preakness winner, to beat the Derby and Belmont winners? Hey, you asked for it. Even with the miserable weather, this is by far the best performance I’ve ever seen live (sorry, Sunday Silence and Easy Goer!); once again, the crowd was there for Rachel, and only Rachel – and she repaid them with another runaway victory. This race also receives special note for Sarah K. Andrew’s fantastic photo (right) – my favorite of the year.

2) Rachel Alexandra wins the Woodward
Finally, some real competition – and the chance to see what Rachel would do when eyeball to eyeball with another horse. Apparently, the answer is win – yet again. I’m looking forward to seeing her as the ‘older horse’ – after all, in a few short days, she’ll be all of 4.

1) Zenyatta wins the Breeders’ Cup Classic
I’m one of Those People who wanted Zenyatta to be Horse of the Year last year and I was not pleased by the rest of her campaign this year – but she proved she’s more than just a great mare with a distinctive running (and, let’s be honest, walking) style. She earned the number one spot with her sparkling, historic performance.

While I’ve already determined that the Horse of the Year debate will not matter much in the long run – indeed, who, beyond the industry, even knows or cares that such a thing exists? – my own vote would go to Rachel Alexandra. I cannot think of another year when I would have listed the same horse more than twice, at most, in a year-ending review – to see the same name four times is not something I expect to see again anytime soon. However, as she’ll be running next year, I may need to keep some slots vacant…but the truth remains that both Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta firmly stamped themselves into this history books in emphatic style.

Here’s hoping that 2010 will be half as exciting as 2009!

On Thanksgiving Day at Churchill Downs, Unbridled Belle and Swift [...]]]> Things are slowly getting back to normal here at Casa Superfecta, after a quick jaunt to the left coast for some soccer (but more on that later). The Breeders’ Cup may be in the history books, but Thanksgiving weekend offers quite a variety of top-level racing.

On Thanksgiving Day at Churchill Downs, Unbridled Belle and Swift Temper are in action in the Falls City Handicap; it is likely the last start for both millionaire mares.

The following day, Einstein (picture, by Barbara Livingston) is aiming to return to winning form in the Clark Handicap; as Julien Leparoux will be in Japan, he’ll have Rajiv Maragh aboard as well as some stiff competition from Macho Again and Bullsbay. But it seems that it may not be the final start for the stalwart son of Spend a Buck – he’s been supplemented to the Hong Kong Cup in December – however, it would still be lovely to see him win.

Both coasts are in action over the weekend; in New York, the Cigar Mile is the headliner. Quality Road has been working hard on his gate schooling, and the distance makes the race seem like a good fit for him – if he wants to start. It’s a great lineup in any case – Bribon, Kodiak Kowboy, Munnings, Vineyard Haven and Pyro are all possible starters. The 2-year-olds will also be on display in the Demoiselle and the Remsen.

In California, Ventura has a chance to give Bobby Frankel a final win in the Matriarch; while she will run in the name of his longtime assistant, Humberto Ascanio, Frankel was still directing her career, even at the end:

“Last Friday (Nov. 13), Bobby called me while I was at the barn and told me, ‘I’m going home tomorrow. I’m not going to take any more transfusions. I just don’t want to go on like this.’ And he said, ‘I’m scared.’

“There was a silence, and then, Bobby said, ‘Talk to Humberto and just tell him, two easy halfs for Ventura and she’ll be fine for the Matriarch.’

Ventura’s frequent rivals Rutherienne and Diamondrella (who is now trained by Gary Stevens, which was apparently something of a surprise to him) are also expected, but it would be nice to see Ventura end with a flourish. Also looking for a positive final race is Cowboy Cal in the Citation, but he will have competition in the form of El Gato Malo, Whatsthescript and another Frankel horse – Proudinsky.

And while she will not be running, Zenyatta will still be very much a presence in California over the weekend; she’s expected to parade around Hollywood Park between races on Sunday. There will be posters, DVDs and other collectibles on offer – although hopefully these are not part of the package.

Overseas, Breeders’ Cup Turf repeat champion Conduit will line against top Japanese mare Vodka in the Japan Cup – last year’s winner, Screen Hero, will be on hand to defend his title. Conduit will be retiring to stud in Japan after the race, but he could take home a considerable bonus if he wins on Sunday. Interpatation, Marsh Side and Just As Well will be representing the US in the race.

And while neither news item relates specifically to this weekend, there is welcome word that Rachel Alexandra has begun to stretch her legs again, and that Goldikova will, as rumored, remain in training next year. Rachel Alexandra will head to the Fair Grounds for the winter after leaving Churchill Downs, while Goldikova’s campaign to win a third Breeders’ Cup Mile will begin again in France.

Check back later (likely after the holiday weekend) for some thoughts on what racing might learn from American soccer – and have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

MarathonWhat a fascinating result – nine-year-old Cloudy’s Knight very nearly got there to be the oldest Breeders’ Cup winner on record (and jockey [...]]]> While Zenyatta’s historic win in the Classic seems to eclipse the rest of the two-day event, there were many other interesting storylines – each race stood out in its own way this year.

Marathon
What a fascinating result – nine-year-old Cloudy’s Knight very nearly got there to be the oldest Breeders’ Cup winner on record (and jockey Rosemary Homeister, Jr. would have been only the second female jockey to win a Breeders’ Cup race), but he was run down by three-year-old Man of Iron. The Aiden O’Brien trainee was actually sold just before the race and will be moving to Luca Cumani’s barn, but he proved yet again that like his half-siblings, Rags to Riches and Jazil, his dam’s offspring like to run as long as possible. He will aim for the Dubai Carnival races next. Last year’s winner, Muhannak, was no factor this year, but he also changed hands and will remain in California under the tutelage of Ben Cecil. Man of Iron was the only Ballydoyle horse who ran on Lasix – and their only winner this year.

Juvenile Fillies Turf
Tapitsfly rewarded her backers, professionally taking on Rose Catherine in the stretch. Favored Lillie Langtry came out of the race with a slab fracture, but she should be back after some minor surgery and time off. Tapitsfly gave trainer Dale Romans his first Breeders’ Cup victory – and so far American-based runners are two-for-two in this turf event.

Juvenile Fillies
She Be Wild proved she enjoys running on synthetics, but she and the other top two finishes, Beautician and Blind Luck, will all be aiming for the Kentucky Oaks on conventional dirt. Both the runner-up and third-place finishers had some bad luck during the race, as did wiseguy favorite Biofuel, who got pretty knocked around – luckily, all seemed to have only minor complaints and a few of them may run again before the year is out.

Filly & Mare Turf
Legendary trainer Henry Cecil scored his first Breeders’ Cup win when Midday took the Filly & Mare Turf – and perhaps she will be back to defend her title, as the plan is for her to remain in training next year. It’s an exciting possibility.

Filly & Mare Sprint
Informed Decision gave jockey Julien Leparoux his second Breeders’ Cup weekend win; as expected, it came down to a dogfight between the winner and top-class mare Ventura. We should see Informed Decision next year as well.

Filly & Mare Classic
Without stablemate Zenyatta to waltz past her in the closing strides, Life is Sweet finally had a chance to demonstrate her class – and trainer John Shirreffs plenty of confidence going in to Saturday’s races.

Juvenile Turf
The first Breeders’ Cup race on Saturday’s card went to Pounced; the American-bred, European-based colt had the always-welcome piloting services of Frankie Dettori. Trainer John Gosden (who was based at Santa Anita for many years) snagged his second victory in this race, having won last year with Donativum.

Turf Sprint
California Flag, who had given himself an impromptu workout before the race, proved he suffered from no ill-effects from his adventure. Joe Talamo secured his first Breeders’ Cup win aboard the California-bred speedball, with ‘other’ filly Gotta Have Her getting up for second (the well-traveled Diamondrella didn’t fire on Saturday).

Sprint
Dancing in Silks scored a major upset – and made trainer Carla Gaines the third woman to train a Breeders’ Cup winner in the process. All the ‘big names’ finished off the board, with Gayego getting closest in fourth. Favorites Zensational and Fatal Bullet finished near each other in fifth and sixth, and global star Fleeting Spirit did not seem to take to the surface. It was a fantastic race for longshot bettors!

Juvenile
Upset winner Vale of York gave up-and-coming Godolphin jockey Ahmed Ajtebi his first Breeders’ Cup win. The horse may be pointed to the Kentucky Derby, but he’d be working against history by prepping in Dubai. Bob Baffert trainee Lookin at Lucky was not terribly lucky in the race, but he still finished a respectable second – and seems a more likely Derby contender.

Mile
Goldikova continued to display her brilliance – matching the great Miesque’s back-to-back Mile wins, and she did so by overcoming a difficult post position and not the easiest trip in this year’s installment. It caps a year in which she’s been (mostly) beating up on the world’s best milers and it means she now has seven G1 wins. The suggestion that she could come back next year to aim for a third Mile win was not immediately ruled out – let’s hope it happens. For those who may grumble that it seems unfair to give an Eclipse award to a horse who has made a single US appearance this year, I’d say that’s true – unless it’s Goldikova.

Dirt Mile
Mastercraftsman was billed as unbeatable, but obviously no one told longshot Furthest Land. Followed closely on by perpetual maiden Ready’s Echo and Midshipman, Furthest Land gave Julien Leparoux his third win for this year’s Breeders’ Cup. And Mastercraftsman? He’s retired.

Turf
Another repeat – Conduit did it again. What was perhaps almost as exciting was Presious Passion’s gutsy effort for second in the race – running off like a sprinter at the beginning, yet still managing to get a big slice of the purse. Dar Re Mi also ran a good race for third (overcoming some considerable traffic trouble), and we could see her again next year. Conduit will now retire to stud in Japan, and it’s possible Presious Passion may also head to Asia – but in his case he’d be going to Hong Kong for the Hong Kong Vase.

Classic
Did Rip Van Winkle’s feet bother him? Perhaps. But even if he had been in top form, it’s difficult to imagine anyone having beaten Zenyatta on the day, as she was perfection incarnate. It’s easy to overlook the quality efforts put in by both Gio Ponti in second and Twice Over in third, but neither had any sort of chance against the giant mare. Poor Einstein had to check behind the slowing Rip Van Winkle, which essentially took him out of the race, and Summer Bird did not have the best luck but still managed to be a closing fourth. But it was really all Zenyatta – and while the Horse of the Year discussions will go on, they really don’t matter; she’s one of the greatest, and that’s all anyone will remember.

1 Mine That Bird, Chip Woolley, C. Borel, 12-1Perhaps unfairly overlooked; he does have the rail and Bo-Rail.

2 Colonel John, Eoin Harty, G. Gomez, 12-1Solid runner is flying a bit under the radar.

3 Summer Bird, Tim Ice, K. Desormeaux, 9/2Gets better and better each time out – can’t wait to [...]]]> #, Horse, Trainer, Jockey, ML odds

1 Mine That Bird, Chip Woolley, C. Borel, 12-1
Perhaps unfairly overlooked; he does have the rail and Bo-Rail.

2 Colonel John, Eoin Harty, G. Gomez, 12-1
Solid runner is flying a bit under the radar.

3 Summer Bird, Tim Ice, K. Desormeaux, 9/2
Gets better and better each time out – can’t wait to see him again next year.

4 Zenyatta, John Shirreffs, M. Smith, 5/2
Her numbers and recent competition are the biggest concern – she looks amazing. Perhaps she just does all she needs to? In any case, it’s great to see her here.

5 Twice Over (GB), Henry Cecil, T. Queally, 20-1
Tough European seems to offer great value here.

6 Richard’s Kid, Bob Baffert, A. Solis, 12-1
The mystery horse; was his shock upset of Einstein the beginning of a pattern? His works have drawn raves.

7 Gio Ponti, Christophe Clement, R. Dominguez, 12-1
Solid, honest horse who happens to beat just about everybody – without garnering much acclaim. Great spot here.

8 Einstein (BRZ), Helen Pitts-Blasi, J. Leparoux, 12-1
He’s got the ability, he just needs the luck – would love to see him (pictured) go out on a win, especially for Pitts-Blasi.

9 Girolamo, Saeed Bin Suroor, A. Garcia, 20-1
Three-race win streak is more G2 level, but he does have talent.

10 Rip Van Winkle (IRE), Aiden O’Brien, J. Murtagh, 7/2
If his foot doesn’t bother him, he wins – if it does, he finishes up the track.

11 Regal Ransom, Saeed Bin Suroor, R. Migliore, 20-1
Came back from a post-Derby layoff with a win in the Super Derby; hard to evaluate where he sits.

12 Quality Road, Todd Pletcher, J. Velazquez, 12-1
Would have preferred to see him in the Dirt Mile – or even the Mile, given his Aussie breeding. Next time?

13 Awesome Gem, Craig Dollase, D. Flores, 30-1
Will he hit the board again? He did in the 2007 edition of this race.

Ideal world: Einstein & Zenyatta DH for first, Gio Ponti takes second, Summer Bird third Picks: Rip Van Winkle, Einstein, Gio Ponti, Twice Over

One that’s already been made is that Sea the Stars will not be coming to the Breeders’ Cup, but will, [...]]]> Although we had the rare luxury last weekend of enjoying racing on normal-ish television for two days in a row, we’re now in that odd pre-Breeders’ Cup holding pattern, where we wait on the who’s-going-where decisions.

One that’s already been made is that Sea the Stars will not be coming to the Breeders’ Cup, but will, instead, be going directly to stud. John McCririck (he of the mutton chops and deerstalker) sounded positively heartbroken:

“Obviously commercially this is the right decision as he could only harm his reputation, by either defeat or the possibility of injury.

“But if he had stayed in training there could have been world tours, virtually. Everywhere he turned up crowds would have come just to see this phenomenon. Horse racing would have had its very own Usain Bolt.

“He would have been an absolute star attraction and it would have been fantastic for the sport, so it’s very sad that commercial realism has taken over.”

Sea the Stars’ owner, Christopher Tsui, put it this way:

“We feel it is unfair to keep him going any further given his unprecedented record of achievement in the last six months.”

I’d point out that Rachel Alexandra’s unprecedented record of achievement in the last six months does not preclude her racing next year – but there you are. You can still relive Sea the Stars’ brief-but-exciting career in photos.

Fortunately, we still have Zenyatta, who extended her unbeaten streak on Saturday in the Lady’s Secret. The absence of Sea the Stars has to make the Breeders’ Cup Classic more appealing to her connections – but of course, the same will be true for other top horses. She hasn’t faced much of anything this season and she’ll have to step up her game if she does take on the boys (her Beyer was a 97, versus a 106 for Gitando Hernando – see below), but she’s one of the few American horses name-checked by the European press as a real threat in the Classic.

It’s easy to understand their writing off our homebred competition when some of our better 3-year-olds and older horses were easily beaten in the Goodwood by the aforementioned Gitano Hernando, a second- or third-string runner behind the likes of Sea the Stars and Rip Van Winkle who had not previously won a graded stakes race. (A small aside here – Gitano Hernando’s last race was nothing terribly exciting at Wolverhampton, but some may find the race notable for last year’s Marathon winner, Muhannak, finishing eighth. For myself, I haven’t been to Wolverhampton since a last-minute road trip to see My Life Story, an indoor band if ever there were one, play for some hippies in a field in 1996 – but I digress).

However, we do still have Einstein and Summer Bird (one can easily argue that Gio Ponti is also being overlooked in the Classic picture). Mine That Bird will also be heading to the Classic despite his lackluster showing in the Goodwood; he seemed uncharacteristically worked up before the race, so perhaps he was just having a particularly off day. Poor Tiago finished last, which is a shame; he’s always seemed to have more potential than his Derby-winning brother.

Presious Passion and Gayego also indicated that they would be prepared for their respective Breeders’ Cup divisions; Presious Passion beat Medici Code and Spring House in the Clement Hirsch with a view toward the Turf, while Gayego took the Ancient Title on his way to the Sprint.

And now we wait.