Graham Cunningham’s Trackside Blog / Graham Cunningham / 04 November 2009 / Leave a Comment

It isn't just the temperature that is hotting up in California at the moment. The European raiders hit the track in force ahead of this weekend's Breeders' Cup on Wednesday morning and our man Graham Cunningham was on the spot to gauge the mood among all the leading players.

Santa Anita Park, Cal: Nov 4th

6.30am

Three television choppers hover noisily in crystal skies above the world's most beautiful racecourse. I assume they are tracking an OJ-style highway incident, but the serious business is taking place on the track as hundreds of horses scatter in all directions.

Gio Ponti sidles by in the tunnel leading out to the main track. America's top turf switches to the Pro Ride for Saturday's Classic and his sharp turn of foot could make him a very dangerous longshot.

6.35

Godolphin's big mile hope Delegator spooks a couple of times as he goes past clockers' corner. No cause for alarm, though, and he's another whose acceleration looks made for this tight track. Stablemate Mastery looks content and much more straightforward as he continues to limber up for his date as favourite for Friday's Marathon.

6.50

Frankie Dettori arrives and is immediately swamped by fans wanting to pose for pictures. He obliges willingly, but his body language changes noticeably as Angel Cordero jnr stops by to say hello. Cordero was Frankie's hero as a kid - so much so that he stole his famous flying dismount - and Dettori plainly still adores him.

6.55

Last year's Marathon winner Muhannak trots by with Ryan Moore aboard. Good luck to him, but it will be a major surprise if he can stage a repeat success.

7.00

Henry Cecil in black Armani jeans arrives to watch Midday, Twice Over and Father Time do a routine exercise. A first BC win for Cecil win would be a huge story and Cecil plainly feels the quirky but highly talented Father Time has a very sporting chance of beating Mastery for the first time in the Marathon.

7.05

A quick word with Father Time's rider Eddie Aher, who is wearing the sort of cap more normally seen on train ticket inspectors. I suggest that he might be planning to arrive as late as possible, but Ahern reports that he plans to be "really positive." Either way, the quirky Father Time looks poised to go very close.

7.15

Fried egg sandwich on wholewheat time. A couple of slices of bacon and two dollops of ketchup and there you have it. The breakfast of champions. 2006 Turf winner Red Rocks strolls by. He looks hard up against it this time around.

7.20

The handsome Lookin at Lucky heads back to the barn after a gentle spin. Some feel a wide draw will kybosh him in the Juvenile. I'm not among them.

7.45

Off to the quarantine barn for the most compelling cameo of the morning. Dark screens open slowly to reveal a posse of Aiden O'Brien's kids and their pals, followed by the massed ranks of team Coolmore and ten hugely valuable thoroughbreds in Indian file and their trainer in baseball cap aboard a powerful hack.

It's all business now. The riders don't speak unless O'Brien asks them a question and the convoy snakes down to the main track with Mrs O'Brien snapping away with a huge camera all the way through the barn area.

8.00

Presious Passion, who had looked very lazy on the track on Monday, shows much more like his true colours this time with a long, raking stride up the straight. This confirmed trailblazer is America's leading Turf hope. Which is a bit like saying that Sporty Spice was the best singer in the Spice Girls.

8.15

Sir Michael Stoute emerges with hot Turf favourite Conduit (partnered by Ryan Moore) and Mile contender Zacinto. Both look well and Stoute shows his attention to detail by having the pair walk round the paddock and the saddling barn to get them fully acquainted with what lies ahead.

8.25

John Gosden accompanies Frankie Dettori and Rainbow View out to the main track for a pretty serious workout. She didn't find what was expected in Canada last time, but she powers up the straight here. Gosden feels she has developed for a stay in California and the Ladies' Classic looks wide open.

8.30

That man Fallon is back on Spanish Moon and, although dozens of horses look in great shape this week, this one is impossible to fault with a high summer sheen to his coat. He exercises over a mile or before going through a stalls test with nor problems whatsoever and Fallon is high on his chances.

"He looks great, he feels great and this race is perfect for him," he says. "Conduit is a hell of a horse, but I'll be riding my fella positively and he will have to work to get past me in the straight."

I know lots of Betfair punters, myself included, like to back horses each way with a view to trading out at shorter odds in running. And Spanish Moon looks a very suitable vehicle for that sort of venture.

Fallon also rides Strike The Deal in the Turf Sprint and Junia Tepzia in the Juvenile Fillies' Turf. If I'm reading the signs right he isn't expecting too many fireworks from the former, while the he expects to know more about the latter once she does a more serious workout tomorrow.

9.05

Bad news if you fancy the Turf Sprint favourite California Flag. The locally-based grey holds the track record here and probably breaks it going in the other direction having lost his rider and bolted all the way back to the barn area.

9.15

Last but not least, the legendary O'Brien huddle. As ever, you come away thinking he might have a host of winners after a lengthy discourse, but the main points are as follows:

1 He's happy that Rip Van Winkle's foot trouble won't be an issue in the Classic
2 And he isn't concerned that "the Ripper" began to sweat
3 He thinks that Rip's very best form is good enough to win Saturday's main event
4 He doesn't think stall 1 should compromise Mastercraftsman in the Dirt Mile
5 He feels there is real depth to his raiding party of Juveniles (and Lillie Langtry was one who particularly took the eye to this observer.)

10.00

Possibly time for another fried egg sandwich.

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