Belmont business for Spanish Mission
David Simcock has enjoyed some of his biggest successes in North America in the autumn, most notably when he saddled a Grade One double at Woodbine in 2014 with Trade Storm and Sheikhzayedroad.
Tomorrow he is back there when he sends Spanish Mission for the $1million Jockey Club Derby Invitational at Belmont.
The colt would have been a leading fancy for the St Leger, judging by the way he won the Bahrain Trophy at Newmarket, and with a bit more luck would have gone very close in a second Leger trial, the Gordon Stakes, at Goodwood.
However, with American owners in Team Valor and Earle Mack, Belmont was always the plan.
“The ground is normally pretty decent out there at this time of year,” Simcock said yesterday. “We consider him a sound-ground horse but think he’d handle a bit of easy.
“It’s perfect ground for him at the moment. There is a chance of the tailend of the hurricane coming up the east coast but there’s nothing we can do about that.
“He’s travelled over well. He’s very straightforward. North America has been good to us. My only worry is about the layout of the track and how sharp it is for him.”
Contrary to indications on Wednesday, Ten Sovereigns, the Newmarket July Cup winner, was one of 13 horses declared for the Betfair Sprint Cup at Haydock tomorrow.
The horse’s trainer, Aiden O’brien will make a final decision on whether to run today after the ground at Haydock continued to soften up yesterday
Others declared for the Group One six-furlong race include the favourite, Advertise, Stewards’ Cup winner Khaadem and last year’s winner The Tin Man.