Having needed the judge to edge out 'TDN Rising Star' Unquestionable (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) in the course-and-distance G2 Railway S. last month, the Adrian Murray-trained €165,000 Arqana Deauville August graduate could be called the clear-cut winner some way out as Ballydoyle's 13-8 market-leader failed to get on terms. At the line, the 9-4 second favourite had four lengths to spare over the G3 Albany S. scorer Porta Fortuna (Ire) (Caravaggio), with 1 1/2 lengths back to Givemethebeatboys (Ire) (Bungle Inthejungle {GB}) as he edged Unquestionable out of the placings by a short head.

“It didn't really go to plan with the pacemaker not getting anywhere near me, so I had to ride my own race but he's very uncomplicated and lengthened and stretched from 2 1/2 out and was quite surprised that nothing came to challenge me,” jockey Kevin Stott said of the winner, who had taken the first juvenile race of the season over five furlongs here in March before running third in the G2 Coventry S.

“We've always thought he was nice, but he was a big baby the first day of the season and has only grown and strengthened since,” Stott added. “Adrian and Robson have done a great job with him and made my life easier to just steer him. He was only just doing enough and I'm sure had something come to him he'd have gone again. He's a horse that we think will get further in time and who knows what kind of horse we've got heading into next year? He's a big horse and takes his racing very well and settles nicely, so you'd like to think he'll get further and if he doesn't we've got a nice sprinter.”

Murray said, “He was very impressive. We had him here 10 days ago doing a piece of work and Robson got off him and said to me 'this is the best horse I've ever ridden'. He was certainly correct in that one. He's a serious horse. That's three runs and three wins here, he's the horse of a lifetime. I'd say it'll be the [G1] National S. now and I don't think he'll have any problem stepping up to seven. The ground today would be a bit easier than the last day. He was very impressive in his maiden here on heavy ground, but it's not an issue for him as he's won on quick ground as well.”

Pedigree Notes

Bucanero Fuerte, who is the seventh top-level winner for his sire, is a full-brother to the G1 Prix de l'Abbaye de Longchamp hero Wooded (Ire) and the G3 Sovereign S. runner-up Beat Le Bon (Fr), with the dam Frida La Blonde (Fr) (Elusive City) being out of the G2 Premio Regina Elena (Italian 1000 Guineas) runner-up Firm Friend (Ire) (Affirmed). She was responsible for the dual listed winner and G3 Prix de Ris-Orangis runner-up Fred Lalloupet (GB) also by Elusive City, as well as the Listed Prix Servanne scorer and G3 Prix de Cabourg-placed Mon Pote Le Gitan (Thunder Gulch) and the triple listed winner Maximum Aurelius (Fr) (Showcasing {GB}). Also related to the G3 Cornwallis S. and G3 Norfolk S.-winning sire Magic Ring (Ire), Frida La Blonde's yearling filly by Dubawi (Ire) now has the best upgrade of all as she heads to Arqana's Deauville August Yearling Sale and sells on Saturday.

Saturday, Curragh, Ireland
KEENELAND PHOENIX S.-G1, €300,000, Curragh, 8-12, 2yo, c/f, 6fT, 1:12.53, gd.
1–BUCANERO FUERTE (GB), 131, c, 2, by Wootton Bassett (GB)
1st Dam: Frida La Blonde (Fr), by Elusive City
2nd Dam: Firm Friend (Ire), by Affirmed
3rd Dam: Chere Amie (Fr), by Gay Mecene
1ST GROUP 1 WIN. (€165,000 Ylg '22 ARAUG). O-Amo Racing
Ltd & Giselle De Aguiar; B-Gestut Zur Kuste AG (GB); T-Adrian
Murray; J-Kevin Stott. €180,000. Lifetime Record: GSP-Eng,
4-3-0-1, $307,645. *Full to Wooded (Ire), G1SW-Fr, $274,930;
and Beat Le Bon (Fr), GSP-Eng, $418,772. Werk Nick Rating:
   A+++. *Triple Plus*. Click for the
   eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree, or the
   free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Porta Fortuna (Ire), 128, f, 2, Caravaggio–Too Precious (Ire),
by Holy Roman Emperor (Ire). 1ST GROUP 1 BLACK TYPE.
O-Barry Fowler, Medallion Racing 2020 LLC, Steven I Weston &
Reeves Thoroughbred; B-Whisperview Trading Ltd (IRE);
T-Donnacha O'Brien. €60,000.
3–Givemethebeatboys (Ire), 131, c, 2, Bungle Inthejungle (GB)–
Dromana (Ire), by Dutch Art (GB). 1ST GROUP 1 BLACK TYPE.
(€15,000 Wlg '21 GOFNO1; €11,000 Ylg '22 GOAUYR;
£1,100,000 2yo '23 GOFLO). O-Bronsan Racing & Mrs Theresa
Marnane; B-Airlie Stud & Mrs S M Rogers (IRE); T-Jessica
Harrington. €30,000.
Margins: 4, 1HF, NO. Odds: 2.25, 3.50, 10.00.
Also Ran: Unquestionable (Fr), Gaenari (Ire), His Majesty (Ire), Launch. VIDEO.

BUCANERO FUERTE

Railway Stakes winner Bucanero Fuerte extends his perfect record @curraghrace by powering his way to Group 1 glory in the @keeneland Phoenix Stakes.

What a moment for Kevin Stott, @amoracingltd and @AMurrayRacing pic.twitter.com/YgmcBQwYBM

— Racing TV (@RacingTV) August 12, 2023

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Ballydoyle's commander-in-chief has almost made this race his private property since 1998, with a sequence of 17 winners. Remarkably, the gap between Sioux Nation in 2017 and Little Big Bear (Ire) last term was the only time in that period that he had gone more than a year without collecting and the Railway has always been a race to sharpen his prospective Phoenix colt. Ryan Moore has enjoyed even more success than usual on the stable's big guns in Ireland in 2023 and he said on his betfair blog, “This lacks a stand-out. Only a short-head separated Bucanero Fuerte and Unquestionable in the Railway and hopefully we can get revenge after our colt had to miss Goodwood because of the worsening ground.”

Other than Bucanero Fuerte, Royal Ascot's Coventry also featured Givemethebeatboys (Ire) (Bungle Inthejungle {GB}) who was just 3/4 of a length behind having been sent for home some way out. Bronsan Racing and Theresa Marnane's G3 Marble Hill S. winner has been given a freshener since then and trainer Jessica Harrington issued a positive update on the £1.1-million Goffs London sensation. “Hopefully he'll run a good race and we don't get too much rain between now and then so we have a bit of nice ground on the day. He's won on soft, but I'd prefer better ground as he's a good-moving horse,” she said.

No filly has won this since La Collina (Ire) (Strategic Prince {GB}) in 2011, but the unbeaten Porta Fortuna (Ire) (Caravaggio) had some smart fillies behind when capturing the G3 Albany S. for the Fowler-Medallion Racing-Weston-Reeves collective and there is no definitive marker as to how the two sexes stand up. “She was in control the whole way in the Albany and did everything you'd like, so you'd have to respect the form and she seems quite versatile,” jockey Oisin Murphy said.

Sweet Solera Up For Grabs

While Ascot stages its longstanding Shergar Cup with its alternative appeal, Newmarket quietly gets on with the business of helping to sort the 2-year-old pecking order. Like the Phoenix, the G3 Molson Coors Sweet Solera S. also lacks a standout candidate but Godolphin's four-length course-and-distance winner Wild Goddess (GB) (Camelot {GB}) fits the bill with her connections and pedigree as she tackles the Listed Star S. second and third Fallen Angel (GB) (Too Darn Hot {GB}) and Soprano (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}). The latter is back on more suitable ground, having been third behind Porta Fortuna in the Albany and we'll know more what that form means by late afternoon on Saturday.

At Haydock, there is an intriguing blend of youth and old talent in the 10-furlong G3 Rose Of Lancaster S. with the impressive Listed Lyric Fillies' S. winner Midnight Mile (Ire) (No Nay Never) taking on Shadwell's unpredictable Al Aasy (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) with weight-for-age on her side.

Inspiral Confirmed For Marois Defence

   John and Thady Gosden have given the green light for Inspiral (GB) (Frankel {GB}) to attempt back-to-back successes in Sunday's G1 Prix du Haras de Fresnay-le-Buffard Jacques le Marois at Deauville following her last-of-five effort in the G1 Sussex S. She will encounter her G1 Queen Anne S. conqueror Triple Time (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) and also Yeguada Centurion SL's G1 Prix du Jockey Club runner-up Big Rock (Fr) (Rock Of Gibraltar {Ire}), as well as the G1 Prix Jean Prat-winning course specialist Good Guess (GB) (Kodiac {GB}) in a competitive 11-runner affair.

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The feature race of the two-day Juddmonte Irish Oaks Weekend on Saturday, July 22, the Juddmonte Irish Oaks has been won three times by horses carrying the Juddmonte colours with Enable (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) (2017), Bolas (GB) (Unfuwain) (1994) and Wemyss Bight (GB) (Dancing Brave) in 1993. Currently there are 87 first entries for the €500,000 summer Classic, including Juddmonte's debut winner Bluestocking (GB) (Camelot {GB}). Juddmonte started as the sponsor of the G2 Beresford S. in 1988; sponsored the G1 Pretty Polly S. in 2018, and began sponsoring the Irish Oaks in 2020.

Douglas Erskine-Crum, CEO of Juddmonte, said “Juddmonte is delighted to renew our sponsorship of the G1 Juddmonte Irish Oaks. It is extremely important to Juddmonte to support Irish racing and breeding and appreciate its sizeable contribution to the wider industry; we feel the Irish Oaks and Curragh racecourse are perfectly placed to demonstrate this commitment.”

Brian Kavanagh, CEO Curragh Racecourse, Ltd., said “We are delighted to be able to announce the extension of Juddmonte's sponsorship of the Irish Oaks and look forward to a quality renewal as always in July. Juddmonte have been fantastic supporters of the Curragh and of the industry here in Ireland for many years as owners, breeders and sponsors and we greatly look forward to our continued partnership with them in this prestigious race. The Irish Oaks has been won by some wonderful fillies over the years, including the great Enable in 2017.”

Starting their sponsorship of the Phoenix S. in 2010, Keeneland will extend their commitment to the race for another three years. In 2022, Little Big Bear (Ire) (No Nay Never) took the prize and was crowned Europe's Champion 2-Year-old with a mark of 124. Prize-money will increase to €350,000 in 2024 and then €400,000 in 2025.

Shannon Arvin, President and CEO of Keeneland, said, “Keeneland's close connection with the Irish bloodstock and racing industries goes back many decades and we are delighted to celebrate that ongoing bond with the continuation of this longstanding sponsorship.

“We witnessed Little Big Bear win one of the best renewals of the Keeneland Phoenix S. last season, with a performance that this week saw him crowned Europe's champion juvenile, and we look forward to working with the Curragh to continue to grow the race in future years.”

Added Kavanagh, “Keeneland have been a valued partner for the Curragh for many years and we are delighted to be able to announce this extension and enhancement of their sponsorship. They are a pleasure to deal with and the ties between Keeneland and the Irish racing and breeding industries have become stronger in recent years. Their commitment to increasing prize-money for the race over the next three years is most welcome and we greatly look forward to working with Keeneland on this sponsorship.”

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“He couldn't have been more impressive–he did everything beautifully today,” Moore said. “These looked good and had the form in the book, so it looked a strong race but he was on a different level. He gave me a super feel the last day, he felt really good and it's hard to know what he's going to do. He's very exciting–he's a big, scopey horse and it's a surprise he was beaten the first day, but that happens and he's stepped forward every time since. There's every chance he'll be a Guineas horse next year–he's very straightforward and is doing that on pure ability.”

“That was mightily impressive!”

An absolutely spectacular display from Little Big Bear in the @keeneland Phoenix Stakes @curraghrace – with Bradsell only fourth@coolmorestud | @Ballydoyle pic.twitter.com/43xQdmXjqJ

— Racing TV (@RacingTV) August 6, 2022

Very few juveniles are able to put such sizeable margins between them and their contemporaries over this sort of trip at this level, with the stable's George Washington (Ire) (Danehill) the last to do so when scoring by eight lengths in 2005 when there was another Coventry winner in Red Clubs (Ire) (Red Ransom) in opposition. The Juddmonte trio of superjuveniles Frankel (GB), Zafonic and Xaar (GB) were able to distance their rivals over further, but it takes something special to open up daylight at six furlongs especially when the line-up appeared so strong beforehand. Bradsell's sluggish start may have aided the winner's cause to a small degree, but there is nothing that can be subtracted from this vastly superior show of strength from Ballydoyle's new idol.

As much as Little Big Bear's wins at Naas and Royal Ascot marked him as above-average, perhaps the greatest early sign that he is held in the highest regard was the fact that connections were unwilling to risk him on fast ground at Newmarket's July Festival. Taken out of the G2 July S. ultimately won by Persian Force, the imposing bay came here to issue a warning that he could be a colossus in the Anglesey over 63 yards further and backed that up with this impressive production.

Whether Little Big Bear goes up in trip or down remains to be seen, but plans are elastic as O'Brien revealed after greeting his 17th Phoenix hero on a landmark day for the family as Joseph saddled his 1000th winner. “The lads can decide what they want to do. He has plenty of options and he can do anything I suppose,” he said of the G1 Nunthorpe S. and G1 Goffs Vincent O'Brien National S. entry. “He's a big, powerful, strong horse. He cruises and quickens, is strong and mature. Before the race we had a bit of a scare with him when he came up here. He kicked a wall and the clip of the shoe went into the sole of his foot. He was a little bit tender when the shoe was put back on. It could have gone either way very easily, so it was a great call by John Halley and Lynn Hillyer to let him run.”

“Ryan said when he let him go it was all over,” added O'Brien, who had earlier made way for Little Big Bear to be the sole representative by withdrawing Blackbeard (Ire) (No Nay Never). “He loves good ground so he can show his speed. It was a very good race, but he has serious class. From day one we thought he was a bit special and different. At Ascot we thought he would get away with five, even though we were happy going six with him. I'm not sure we ever had one to do that in this race. It was a deep field and we were going to find out today. Ryan was very complimentary about him and he's a realist, so there aren't many he would be that complimentary about.”

Little Big Bear's dam, the Listed Prix de Liancourt winner and G3 Prix Cleopatre runner-up Adventure Seeker (Fr) (Bering {GB}) whose first foal was the G3 Hobart Cup runner-up Andrea Mantegna (Giant's Causeway), is kin to the G3 Princess Margaret S.-placed Along Again (Ire) (Elusive City). The third dam is the French champion and 1983 US Horse of the Year All Along (Fr), courtesy of her G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, GI Turf Classic, G1 Rothmans International and GI Washington D. C. International victories. Also connected to the G2 Prix Greffulhe winner Along All (GB) (Mill Reef) and the G1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains-placed Art Francais (Lyphard's Wish {Fr}), Adventure Seeker has yearling and colt full-brothers to Little Big Bear to come, with the former part of the Camas Park Stud draft in the upcoming Tattersalls October Yearling Sale Book 1.

Saturday, The Curragh, Ireland
KEENELAND PHOENIX-G1, €300,000, The Curragh, 8-6, 2yo, c/f, 6fT, 1:11.27, gd.
1–LITTLE BIG BEAR (IRE), 131, c, 2, by No Nay Never
     1st Dam: Adventure Seeker (Fr), by Bering (GB)
     2nd Dam: American Adventure, by Miswaki
     3rd Dam: All Along (Fr), by Targowice
1ST GROUP 1 WIN. 'TDN Rising Star'. (€320,000 Ylg '21 ARAUG). O-D Smith,Mrs J Magnier,M Tabor,Westerberg; B-Camas Park Stud & Summerhill (IRE); T-Aidan O'Brien; J-Ryan Moore. €180,000. Lifetime Record: 5-4-1-0, $300,650. *1/2 to Andrea Mantegna (Giant's Causeway), GSP-Aus, $352,585. Werk Nick Rating: C. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Persian Force (Ire), 131, c, 2, Mehmas (Ire)–Vida Amorosa (Ire), by Lope de Vega (Ire).
1ST G1 BLACK TYPE. (€75,000 Wlg '20 GOFNOV; €225,000 Ylg '21 GOFOR). O-Amo Racing Limited; B-Tom Lacy (IRE); T-Richard Hannon. €60,000.
3–Shartash (Ire), 131, c, 2, Invincible Spirit (Ire)–Shamreen (Ire), by Dubawi (Ire).
1ST G1 BLACK TYPE. O-H H Aga Khan; B-His Highness The Aga Khan's Studs S.C. (IRE); T-Johnny Murtagh. €30,000.
Margins: 7, HF, 1. Odds: 1.63, 4.00, 18.00.
Also Ran: Bradsell (GB), Apache Outlaw (Ire). Scratched: Blackbeard (Ire). Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.

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“I've ridden him in most of his homework since Royal Ascot at Archie Watson's Saxon Gate Stables and have been delighted with his progress,” Doyle said of Bradsell in her attheraces blog. “He's definitely strengthened up and is very professional in the way he goes about his business. It's going to be a tough assignment in what looks a stellar renewal, but Bradsell has a great mind and I wouldn't swap him for anything. The stiff track and the forecasted good ground should be ideal and I'm happy enough with my draw in stall six in such a small field.”

Ryan Moore is happy to be on Little Big Bear over the high-achieving Blackbeard (Ire) (No Nay Never), with his emphatic success in the G3 Anglesey S. over an extended six furlongs here July 16 marking him out as a colt with Classic pretensions. “He really was impressive here last time. He gave me a great feel,” his rider said in his betfair blog. “We will know who the number one juvenile is after this, I would imagine, and hopefully it is one of ours.”

The Right Amo?

Outside of the big two in the Phoenix, Amo Racing Limited's Persian Force (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}) retains intrigue having bounced out of the Coventry to take Newmarket's G2 July S. July 7. Richard Hannon rates him alongside the likes of Canford Cliffs (Ire) (Tagula {Ire}) and normal progression could see him usurp the market principals. Amo's racing manager Emily Scott said, “It's a small but select and strong field, we go there with a lot of confidence that we've got a very nice horse and if he's come forward from Ascot as much as Richard thinks he has, hopefully he can put it to Bradsell and the O'Brien duo. As Richard said to me, whatever beats him, if anything beats him, it's going to be good.”

Classic Clues Aplenty

It's that time of year that the 2-year-olds really excite and away from the Phoenix, Saturday also sees a cluster across Europe with the pedigrees to enter the Classic picture with prominent displays. On The Curragh's card, the latest offering from Lillie Langtry (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}) emerges from Ballydoyle in Delightful (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in the Loder Irish EBF Fillies Race, Newmarket's fixture opens with a maiden that hosts the Juddmonte debutante Jalapa (GB) (Expert Eye {GB}), a half-sister to Westover (GB) (Frankel {GB}), and continues with the feature seven-furlong G3 Jewson Sweet Solera S. In the latter contest, Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum's homebred Novakai (GB) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) bids to back up an impressive 4 1/4-length winning debut at Doncaster July 16 and the Karl Burke-trained descendant of Ela Athena (GB) (Ezzoud {Ire}) is currently favoured over Gallop Racing's June 18 Listed Chesham S. third Lakota Sioux (Ire) (Sioux Nation) from the Charlie and Mark Johnston stable successful three times since 2014. “I was pleasantly surprised she did it so well at Doncaster and I've been delighted with her since,” Burke said of Novakai. “I wouldn't want the ground too quick, so we'll just have to keep an eye on that.”

Frankie Takes To The Shergar Cup

During what feels like a long goodbye tour for Frankie Dettori, he is at his favourite venue of Ascot on Saturday to take part in the Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup for the first time since 2016. Other leading lights in the riding sphere on show include Christophe Lemaire, Kerrin McEvoy and Emma-Jayne Wilson, while at Haydock the G3 Betfred Rose of Lancaster S. sees Prince Faisal Bin Khaled's nine-length July 16 Listed Steventon S. winner Grocer Jack (Ger) (Oasis Dream {GB}) take on Shadwell's July 9 John Smith's Cup scorer Anmaat (Ire) (Awtaad {Ire}) from the Owen Burrows stable.

Click here for the fields.

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Bradsell's trainer Archie Watson said, “He was obviously very impressive at Ascot and the form has worked out well. He's very, very talented. I do try to keep things understated and let the horses do the talking, but his home work is very good–the best of anything I've trained in terms of what he's done on the gallops. It's very hard to find him a lead horse because he'll just gallop all over Glen Shiel (GB) (Pivotal {GB}), a Group 1 winner, and Tabdeed (GB) (Havana Gold {Ire}), who was second in the Stewards' Cup the other day. They'd struggle to lead him very far at all.”

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Shannon Arvin, who was appointed Keeneland's eighth president and chief executive officer last year, is the first woman to hold that position, and she arrived in the UK earlier in the week to meet some of the company's clients in this part of the world and enjoy a couple of days at the races.

As Ascot on Friday following a lunch celebrating all the winning breeders from the Royal Ascot meeting, Arvin outlined some of the key changes of personnel at Keeneland which took place during 2021. Along with her own appointment, Irishmen Tony Lacy and Cormac Breathnach were appointed vice president of sales and director of sales operations respectively, while Gatewood Bell, a familiar face to many on the European sales circuit in his days as an agent and representative of Goffs, became vice president of racing.

“We're a new team,” Arvin says.  “With Gatewood on board as head of racing, then Tony as head of sales and Cormac as director of sales operations, I think we all just share a common view that Keeneland is a special place. It's special to all of us for different reasons and I know we all see ourselves as stewards.

“And it's neat to come together and approach it from that vantage point because I know that all we are trying to do is to make Keeneland as good as it can be and do as much as we can for the industry, and as much as we can to perpetuate the best in racing. We were founded on that principle, and we all believe so fervently in it that even when we have different ideas of how to get there, we are open to those new ideas and finding new ways, so that we attract more people to the sport.”

Reflecting on a tumultuous few years of international travel disrupted by the pandemic, she adds, “I think as difficult as Covid has been it has also given us some opportunities to try new things that may have been more difficult to have done at other times. People have got more used to change and we have all had to become more flexible.”

The breeze-up pinhookers are a determined bunch, and a group that as a whole has benefited enormously from the buying and selling of American-bred yearlings sourced at Keeneland. Many of them found ways of travelling to Lexington, aided by Keeneland's tireless European representative Ed Prosser, but the planning was by no means simple. This year, happily, should be more straightforward.

“One of my most favourite aspects of this business, from the time when I was a lawyer and even more so now, is the fact that it's such an international business but it's a small world, so our European buyers are such an important part of our buying bench,” says Arvin.

“We sell horses to people from over 52 countries, but our European buyers are so important and when there was a question about whether we could get them over for last year's sales cycle we were all very anxious. Ed Prosser's hair turned whiter and we were in contact daily to work out ways to get them here.

“Last year, in September in particular, the market was so unusual, and usually when you get to the last day of the sale the back ring gets fairly empty but last year the back ring was full, and still with lots of European pinhookers.”

Potential buyers planning their trips for September can rest safe in the knowledge that this year's sale will follow the pattern of 12 months ago.

Arvin continues, “Our consignors and buyers all agree that consistency from year to year in the format would be really helpful, and we haven't been able to do that in past years for a variety of reasons. But we will have the same format this year that we did last September: two-day Book 1, two-day Book 2, one-day break, and on. We will have a Book 6 this year. Our numbers are such that we will need a Book 6 this year instead of consolidating three days for Book 5.”

But before the serious business begins there is some meeting and greeting to be done via two key European race sponsorships for Keeneland, at Ascot on Saturday and at the Curragh in Ireland on Aug. 6.

“We appreciate so much that the European breeders and buyers support our sales, and it goes both ways,” Arvin explains. “That international aspect is so important to a healthy industry. Our sponsorship of racing in Europe goes back to the Nunthorpe S. at York in the 1990s. The Princess Margaret S. we have sponsored since 2018 and of course we sponsor the G1 Keeneland Phoenix S. at the Curragh in a few weeks. That's close to home for Tony so he will be there for that, and it's just fun to see our European customers on their turf as well as at Keeneland.”

Just ahead of the breeding stock sale in November, the sales company's sister racecourse will welcome back the Breeders' Cup for the third time.

Arvin, who spent a day in Newmarket before heading to Ascot, adds, “The temporary structures are already going up and we're getting ready. Even for the few days I've been here in England I've seen lots of trainers who have talked about coming back to Keeneland for the Breeders' Cup, so we're getting very excited about that.”

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Said Palmer, who trained Ebro River's sire Galileo Gold to wins in the G1 2000 Guineas and G1 St James's Palace S., “I've left him in the [Sept. 18 G2] Mill Reef [at Newbury] just in case it looks like being soft there and it looks like being firm ground at Newmarket, but I'm not sure many have carried a Group 1 penalty in that race.

“He is very unlikely to go to the [G1] National S. [at The Curragh on Sept. 12] and the [G1 Prix] Jean Luc Lagardere [at ParisLongchamp on Oct. 3] is a possibility, but I think six furlongs is his trip. The Middle Park is the main aim and that is where we want to go but we have kept the other options just in case.”

Successful at second asking at Doncaster in May, Ebro River added the Listed National S. at Sandown on May 27. Only fifth in the G2 Coventry S. at Royal Ascot, the chestnut reported home fourth in the G2 Tattersalls July S. and July 29 G2 Unibet Richmond S. prior to his top-level score.

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“We were obviously thrilled with the horse, especially after going so close at Royal Ascot,” said trainer David Loughnane.

“We've got six weeks until the Phoenix and I think that's where we'll go. He's had a busy 10 days now, so we'll give him a quiet couple of weeks and then we've got three and a half to four weeks to get him ready for the Phoenix. That's the most logical step, I think.”

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