Regan Bayliss has been booked to ride Sarrasin in New York
Sarrasin’s American campaign will begin earlier than planned with the six-year-old to run in a 1600m-race at Belmont with Melbourne jockey Regan Bayliss to ride.
Trainer Richard Freedman has the Sword Dancer Invitational at Saratoga on August 25 as a Group One target in the United States.
He and the owners had originally targeted a 1600m-race at Belmont on July 14 as his first start in New York but have brought it forward a week because Sarrasin gets in better at the weights in the allowance race.
Bayliss is on holidays in the US and connections have seized the opportunity to get him to ride.
Freedman’s son and foreman Will Freedman said all reports were Sarrasin had taken the travel in his stride.
“It is exciting. He has come through the travel better than anticipated or at least as good as you could expect,” Will Freedman told RSN927.
“In a sense we’re fortunate he has only won two races although we believe he is Group One quality.”
Allowance races in the US are for horses who have won less than three races.
Bayliss is in the United States on holiday ahead of his trip to England to ride Redkirk Warrior in the July Cup at Newmarket and had his race gear with him.
He said he had been to Belmont over the past couple of days to take a look at the track.
