Gosden wants to rip up a sad list of excuses

They travel with massive reputations and multi-million pound price tags only to

No, not Manchester United footballers on a Champions League trip to Stuttgart, but equally highly strung British thoroughbreds when the Breeders’ Cup is held in California.

Saturday’s $ 14million ( £ 8.36m) bonanza takes place at Santa Anita Park, an idyllic setting 14 miles north east of downtown Los Angeles, which has drawn Hollywood’s elite from Clark Gable, Bing Crosby and Spencer Tracy right through to more recent visitors such as Jack Nicholson, Joe Pesci and
Michelle Pfeiffer.

It’s also where Seabiscuit earned iconic status as America came out of the Depression in the 1930s.

Sadly, it’s also the place where British racing’s elite tend to shrivel in the sun.

A cynic could be forgiven for suspecting the excuses for defeat are packed along with the passport and sunscreen. The gruelling journey is always an old favourite, while the sudden change from autumn chill to balmy sunshine can also be relied on to get an airing.

Such excuses lose credibility when set against the impressive record of French horses here, so are the British raiders really fighting a losing battle?

Not according to one of the select group who have trained major winners on both sides of the Atlantic. John Gosden saddled Royal Heroine from a barn at Santa Anita to land the Mile at the inaugural Breeders’ Cup at Hollywood
Park.

Nineteen years on he returns hoping to win the Mile again, but Gosden knows he has to perform the feat of a lifetime if Oasis Dream is to transform himself from an outstanding sprinter to a world-class miler.

“Yes, it’s something of a crapshoot, but it’s also a crapshoot with $1.5m in prize money,” he said. “Oasis Dream is a naturally relaxed horse with brilliant speed. He worked over five furlongs in 57.1 seconds the other day, which is phenomenal when you consider he was going uphill, and I’ve always thought that he will have enough stamina to prove fully effective over a two-turn mile.”

Gosden feels the visitors are much better equipped for the challenge
than they have been in the past.

“The Breeders’ Cup used to be an afterthought in the early days, but the Mile has been in our minds for this fellow since the spring,” he added.

“How a horse takes the flight is always important, as is the way it handles a dry, semi-desert heat. No sane person would want to exercise at 10 in the morning there, but the biggest factor of all for Oasis Dream will be the
draw.

“The run to the first bend is very short and can result in a lot of bumping and barging. It’s out of our hands but, no matter what they say, anyone drawn nine or more will give a big sigh and feel their stomach sink.”

Gosden calls on his experience of his spell in America when assessing the task ahead. “The turf track here is like running round the inside of a barrel. American racing is all about speed from the gate and getting the right position and winning the Mile with a champion filly like Royal Heroine was a real
highlight day,” he said.

Gosden also reflected on saddling his very first winner as a trainer in California. “That came at Santa Anita over 20 years ago and was ridden by a
babyfaced Steve Cauthen,” he said.

Anoraks will testify that Smooth Journey was the horse in question. And a smooth journey to the first bend is exactly what Gosden will be praying for when Oasis Dream jumps from the stalls on Saturday night.

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