Winx’s trainer set for brainstorming session with four- time winner Bob Baffert

New Zealander Steven Nicholson is about to live the dream of many a horseman — to watch a three- year- old he bred step out in this weekend’s Kentucky Derby.

Nicholson and his wife Brandi, who hails from the neighbouring state of Indiana, are the breeders of Classic Empire, last season’s North American champion t wo- year- old male and who is likely to contest favouritism in the Derby.

The Nicholsons operate Silver Fern Farm, near Versailles, in the heartland of the Kentucky breeding region. They have bred a number of good horses, either by themselves or in partnership, including King’s Bishop Stakes winner Capo Bastone.

But none have had quite the profile of Classic Empire. By American Pharoah’s sire Pioneer of The Nile, he i s out of one of Silver Fern Farm’s foundation mares, Sambuca Classica, and sold for $ 475,000 at the Keeneland Yearling sale to John Oxley.

“He was an easy young horse to deal with,” Nicholson said.

“We didn’t really have any issues with him until about two days before we were going to ship him to the sale, when he had swelling in his hock. We were almost going to pull him out of the sale. We weren’t expecting the price we got even before the hock issue. We were delighted.”

Classic Empire won four of his five starts for leading trainer Mark Casse, including t wo grade ones — the Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity at Keeneland and the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile.

However, it’s been a tortuous road to Churchill Downs this year. Classic Empire was favoured to win his threeyear- old debut, the Holy Bull Stakes in Florida, but finished a well- beaten third to Irish War Cry and Gunnevera.

It was subsequently discovered that he had an abscess in his right front hoof. After that healed, he had back problems, and to top it all off, Classic Empire refused to put in a solid workout when asked at Palm Meadows, Florida, in mid- March.

Casse then took him to Winding Oaks Farm, near Ocala, Florida, and from there he picked up. He started in the Arkansas Derby on April 15, which he bravely won in the manner of a horse likely to improve. Chris Waller won’t be a casual observer at Churchill Downs this weekend for the Kentucky Derby. It’s not his style.

Sydney’s premier trainer flew to the United States on Wednesday for what could best be described as a working holiday, or in racing manager Charlie Duckworth’s view — a fact- finding mission.

Although Waller could warrant a spell after a hectic autumn dominated by Winx’s all- conquering exploits, he will be having a

He’s likely to be one of the favourites for the Derby, along with Florida Derby winner Always Dreaming and his Holy Bull Stakes conqueror Irish War Cry.

It’s the second consecutive year brainstorming session with Bob Baffert, trainer of the world’s best horse, Arrogate.

“Chris is not very casual,” Duckworth said.

“He’ll be linking up with Bob and no doubt picking his mind on how we can improve things and do things differently.”

Waller and Baffert — a four- time Kentucky Derby winner — met at the Longines Horse of the Year awards in London in January when the American took home the that a horse the Nicholsons bred has run in the Derby, following Mo Tom last year. Mo Tom finished midfield, but subsequently won the group three US$ 500,000 Ohio Derby.

Nicholson, whose father is former supreme award and Winx was judged the world’s best horse of turf.

“It’s very similar to when he went to visit Aidan O’Brien at Ballydoyle ( Ireland) ,” Duckworth said.

“Chris changed and tweaked a few things around.”

Baffert, 64, the trainer of four Kentucky Derby winners including 2015 triple crown winner American Pharoah, does not have a runner this year.

Duckworth said there were obvious barriers to Waller one day iron horse Sir Slick’s trainer Graeme Nicholson, went to the United States for the first time in 1992 after his brother Kelvin replied to an advertisement for grooms. He flew back to New Zealand a few years later, but targeting a race like the Kentucky Derby. “The breeding makes it harder for us,” he said. “We’d have to send a two- year- old to run in the Northern Hemisphere against their three- year- olds.

“It’s also on a dirt track and that makes it harder because there’s no dirt tracks in Australia.

“Having said that I’m scared to rule out too many things with him.”

Godolphin has been trying to win the Kentucky Derby since 1999, and Thunder Snow is Sheikh returned to Kentucky permanently in 1998. Once in Kentucky, he worked for Idle Hour Farms and Adena Springs before he and Brandi went out on their own. Eventually they would team up with veteran breeders Mohammed’s strongest chance yet, trainer Saeed bin Suroor says.

Saeed has sent seven of nine Godolphin contenders to the Derby but says he has “been waiting for this moment for a long time”.

“Thunder Snow is a tough horse with a lot of class, which you need because the Kentucky Derby is a very, very tough race,” he said.

“He’s the best horse we have ever sent [ to the Derby].”

Thunder Snow has drawn barrier two for tomorrow’s race meaning Hargus and Sandra Sexton and they now farm 60 acres ( 24ha) on a property owned by the Sextons.

“There’s a lot of opportunities here, and we’ve been very fortunate,” Nicholson said. “However, I always that jockey Christophe Soumillon will need to go forward from the start.

Almost a week after reports surfaced John O’Shea had resigned as its head Australian trainer, Godolphin last night confirmed he has stepped down.

Darren Beadman, right hand man to O’Shea during his three- year tenure, was granted a trainer’s licence yesterday with horses to race under his name from tomorrow. class myself a Kiwi. That’s home, really to me, even though I’ve probably been here just as long as I’ve been in New Zealand. If Classic Empire won the Derby it really would be a dream come true.”