RACINGHE MAY not have the raw brilliance of Galileo, Hawk Wing, George Washington or some of the other superstars Aidan O'Brien has thrown at the Breeders Cup Classic but what So You Think does have may just be good enough at Churchill Downs tonight to provide the Coolmore empire with the race it covets more than any other.
On the face of it, So You Think follows the usual speculative pattern of the past decade in terms of O’Brien’s attempts to win the Classic and thus provide John Magnier and Co with the true international stallion that can mean financial pay-dirt.
It’s dirt of the more mundane variety though that has confounded those attempts. Not surprisingly when faced with an alien surface completely new to them, and which often demands a subtly different running style, most of Coolmore’s elite performers have reacted with bemusement.
Giants Causeway in 2000 remains the one to have done best when just edged out by the outstanding Tiznow. But crucially So You Think looks to have some of that class, grit and ability to grind out the fractions that Giants Causeway had, and there doesn’t appear to be anything of Tiznow’s quality in the opposition for tonight’s finale to the Breeders Cup spectacular.
Most of the top American dirt performers of 2011 are seen as unexceptional and the others have question-marks hanging over them. Uncle Mo is unproven at the trip, as is the top filly Havre De Grace. Flat Out might be best at Belmont.
The question mark over So You Think is not his quality, nor his stamina, but purely the surface. However, seven starts in Europe since his dramatic transfer from Australia have indicated that he possesses a grinding galloper style, often suited to dirt, rather than the instant acceleration of the very best turf performers.
O’Brien has put blinkers on to make him more “attentive” but it could also be to ensure he starts well out of the gate.
If Ryan Moore can keep him away from any kickback, and get him into a rhythm on the strange surface, So You Think does look to possess enough quality to cope with a home team that could be best represented by the Bill Mott duo, To Honour And Serve and Drosselmeyer.
Ireland’s champion trainer pitches eight horses in total at tonight’s action and there could be the rare chance to see a father-son team land a Breeders Cup prize. St Nicholas Abbey may not be the superstar he promised to be as a juvenile but he is a Group One winner this year and ran a better race in the Arc than might be suggested by his fifth place finish.
If the Classic is the big-money jackpot, the remarkable Goldikova’s pursuit of a fourth victory in a row in the Mile has resulted in the race being piked up the schedules as any sense of trans-Atlantic competition evaporates in a wave of sentimental goodwill towards Freddie Head’s mare.
Goldikova hasn’t been as dominant as usual this year but on strict form figures she appears as good as ever. And that really should be good enough for this lot.
Crusade and Daddy Long Legs represent Ballydoyle in the Juvenile Dirt but the unbeaten Union Rags looks a great prospect while in the Juvenile Turf there will be worse longshots than Shkspeare Shaliyah who has been impressing in his work this week.
