It will be interesting to see how the horses-for-courses angle plays out at Monmouth Park, where it has often been an advantage to have either a race or a work over the track. In this year's Breeders' Cup World Championships, there is one trainer who will be coming to the Jersey Shore well prepared.
A Spanish owner and a British trainer are overheard conversing in French following a grade I victory on turf. Welcome to the Belmont Park fall meeting. It is here that the best American grass horses and their trainers and owners get their annual reality check from Europe's advance guard.
It was exactly noon when the Brook Ledge van came to a stop at the loading ramp on the Oklahoma training track, a short distance from Todd Pletcher's barn. Arriving from Belmont Park following the four-hour ride was the queen of American racing, Rags to Riches. This was a scene many thought would never be played out.
