A distinct air of apprehension attended the trackwork here on Wednesday morning as trainers and jockeys went about their business preparing horses for the Breeders’ Cup meeting this weekend and waited for what the locals refer to as “a major rain event” to begin. And once the rain arrived around noon, there was little to be done but wait for it to stop – which, according to some forecasts, may not be until Thursday evening.
Even if predictions of 36 hours of rainfall turn out to be overly pessimistic, the course here is certain to receive a soaking before the seven turf events on the 14-race Breeders’ Cup programme. Both the turf and dirt tracks drain rapidly but, while the forecast suggests the dirt will have time to recover before Roaring Lion, Thunder Snow and Mendelssohn line up for the Classic in the finale to the meeting on Saturday evening, the turf is likely to be riding with cut for Friday’s races involving the two-year-olds at least.
Soft ground should certainly hold no fears for Enable, the dual Arc winner and favourite for Saturday’s Turf, as she has winning Group One form with ease in the ground. Roaring Lion, though, could be scratched from his final race in the Classic if the dirt track is sloppy.
John Gosden, who trains both horses, tweaked his plans for Roaring Lion as a result of the poor forecast and sent him for a trial in the American starting stalls on Wednesday morning, with Frankie Dettori, rather than his big-race jockey Oisin Murphy, in the saddle.
“It’s a huge challenge,” Gosden said on Wednesday. “It’s the kickback [that is the biggest problem] and, if the track is sloppy, that’s probably a no-go. They’re so fast from the gate, the American horses, and they’ll go the first quarter [mile] way quicker than the last quarter, so you don’t think you’re going to be anything but off the pace.
“The problem is the dirt in the face. The horses aren’t used to it and they start losing the rhythm of their breathing. But he’s a tough cookie, this horse. I wouldn’t have let him come here if I didn’t think he was mentally strong enough to handle it, but he’s come here and he’s thoroughly enjoying it.”
Roaring Lion looked warm and edgy as he went out to the track on Wednesday but his trainer feels that is simply a normal reaction to the colt’s new surroundings.
“These guys are coming in and seeing horses and ponies flying in all directions,” Gosden said. “He’s been down to the starting gate and stood in it for four minutes before they could jump him, I’d be very disappointed if he didn’t get a bit warm.
Lingfield Park 12.30 Appenzeller 1.00 Pact Of Steel 1.30 Alexa Rose 2.00 Charles Molson (nb) 2.35 Move Swiftly 3.05 Alwaysandforever 3.40 Listen To The Wind 4.10 Garth Rockett
Stratford-On-Avon 1.10 Shannon Hill 1.40 Stowaway Magic 2.15 Vancouver 2.45 Activial 3.20 Seddon 3.50 One Forty Seven
Sedgefield 1.20 Hey Bob 1.50 Charmant 2.25 Sheriff Garrett 2.55 Lough Derg Farmer 3.30 More Than Luck 4.00 Champagne To Go
Wolverhampton 5.10 Ace Master 5.45 It’s Not Unusual 6.15 Lord Murphy 6.45 Sesame 7.15 Aluqair 7.45 La Fortuna (nap) 8.15 Calvinist 8.45 Mutabaahy
Newcastle 5.30 Boxatricks 6.00 Repaupo 6.30 Deansgate 7.00 Mossy’s Lodge 7.30 Popping Corks 8.00 Black Hambleton
Tips by Greg Wood
“I think it was a great schooling for him this morning, and I was planning to do it tomorrow but, given [possible] track conditions tomorrow, I thought I’d get on with it today. Hence Mr Dettori wound up taking him to the gate.”
Roaring Lion is a 10-1 chance for the Classic with British bookmakers while Enable, at 4-7, is the hottest favourite for any of the 14 races.“She’d be very happy on the ground the way it is right now,” Gosden said. “If there’s a massive amount of rain, we’ll see. I don’t know but this track drains pretty well, I’m told.”
