Well-fancied French filly Sarafina cantered around Churchill Downs on Wednesday as rivals began making plans on how to pull off an upset in Saturday’s $US3 million Breeders’ Cup Turf showdown.
French trainer Alain de Royer-Dupre was due in Kentucky on Thursday, two days before Sarafina takes to the turf in the 1-1/2 mile (2400m) race with Christophe Lemaire on board.
Lemaire is bidding for a second prestigious win this week after riding Dunaden to victory in the Melbourne Cup.
De Royer-Dupre was also in Australia, guiding 2010 Melbourne Cup champion Americain’s failed bid to repeat at Flemington.
Sarafina, whose connections will hope she justifies her 5-2 favourite tag here after failing to do so in the Arc de Triomphe last month when she finished seventh, made only a gentle jog around the track on Tuesday morning in her first look at Churchill Downs before heading back to the barn.
Irish trainer Aidan O’Brien’s two hopefuls in the field, Await the Dawn and St Nicholas Abbey, only arrived on Tuesday night and will not take to the track before Friday.
Brilliant Speed, a three-year-old son of Dynaformer who was seventh in the Kentucky Derby before switching back from dirt to turf, jogged one mile (1600m) and galloped another under Dave Wallace on Wednesday in his first exercise since arriving on Tuesday. He won the Saranac Stakes in his return to turf.
“I’m pretty sure he prefers to be on the grass,” trainer Tom Albertrani said.
“He’s more comfortable on the grass. It looks like his best races have been on turf, other than the Blue Grass on synthetic.”
Dean’s Kitten, 10-1, has only raced the Turf distance in the most recent of his 23 starts, where he lost by a nose at Belmont Park to the favourite Cape Blanco who would have been a genuine contender on Saturday if not for a career-ending injury.
“We would have tried it (at 1-1/2 miles) a lot sooner but the opportunity really never presented itself,” trainer Mike Maker said.
“I wish we had more 1-1/2 mile turf chances in America. I think he’s at his best with more distance.”
The four-year-old won the Dallas Turf Cup and was third in the Arlington Million.
“This horse has really proved himself this year,” Maker said.
“He’s matured, and held his own with some of the top grass horses. He gives 110 per cent effort every time.”
AFP AAP TURF
