Gitano takes Goodwood path to BC Classic; Muhannak likely for Marathon

Gitano takes Goodwood path to BC Classic; Muhannak likely

for Marathon

After posting a record five Breeders' Cup victories in the California sun

last year, the European invasion of Santa Anita looks set to start even earlier

this season with Newmarket-based trainer Marco Botti shipping over GITANO

HERNANDO (GB) (Hernando [Fr]) for Saturday's Goodwood S. (G1).

The 1 1/8-mile contest is part of the Breeders' Cup Challenge, an

international series of 63 races whose winners earn qualifying positions into a

corresponding race at the World Championships, following the payment of

applicable entry fees on October 26.

Saturday's winner automatically receives a berth in the $5 million Breeders'

Cup Classic (G1), highlight of the second day of the World Championships on

November 7.

Gitano Hernando, who runs in the colors of international owners Team Valor,

boasts a perfect two-for-two record on a synthetic surface, having enjoyed easy

wins on Wolverhampton's Polytrack in an about 9 1/2-furlong maiden in November

2008, and an about 8 1/2-furlong conditions race in course record time on

September 17.

The three-year-old also comfortably landed an about 10 1/2-furlong turf

handicap at Doncaster on his seasonal return at the end of March and was beaten

a head in the Dee S. (Eng-G3) over a similar trip at Chester in May, when he was

denied a clear run.

A slight setback following that race ruled him out of a crack at the Belmont

S. (G1), but Italian-born Botti, who had a spell looking after the likes of

Cigar at Bill Mott's stable in the 1990s, reports his stable star to be in good

order ahead of his weekend assignment.

"Gitano Hernando seems to have traveled over fine and everything is in place

for Saturday's race now," Botti reported from Santa Anita. "He came out of his

two-day quarantine on Thursday and he will head to Santa Anita to work under

Kieren Fallon today. He hasn't lost any weight on the journey over and he's

ready to go.

"I was pleased with his latest run at Wolverhampton -- he won nicely after a

three-month break, and I am sure that he has come on a lot since that race. He

had a big blow afterwards and we are expecting him to improve quite a lot.

"This race is a completely different scenario for him, being a Grade 1, but

he is in good form and is a progressive horse. Ideally, we would have preferred

to run him over the 10 furlong distance of the Breeders' Cup Classic -- I think

his best form is over a mile and a quarter -- but I hope that he has the pace to

go with the field over an extended mile.

"We know that he handles the surface and he is going into the race as a fresh

horse. He hasn't had that much racing this year and we are hoping that he can

run well on Saturday.

"The owners would like to see how he runs on Saturday but the Breeders' Cup

Classic is his intended target at the moment. We will make a final decision

after the Goodwood S. but he won't be coming back to Britain afterwards."

One of the five European victors at the 2008 Breeders' Cup was MUHANNAK (Ire)

(Chester House) in the inaugural Breeders' Cup Marathon, and the gelding could

attempt to defend his crown at Santa Anita on November 7. Run over 12 furlongs

in 2008, this year the Breeders' Cup Marathon rises in distance to 14 furlongs.

Muhannak has not been seen at his best during the 2009 season but posted his

best effort of the campaign so far when a staying-on fifth, beaten less than

four lengths, in the Cumberland Lodge S. (Eng-G3) over 12 furlongs on turf at

Ascot on September 27.

"Hopefully, we'll now be going to Santa Anita," trainer Ralph Beckett said.

"At the moment I'd say that it's 70/30 that he'd head over for the race.

"It was a good effort last time and there I was whingeing about the fact that

they'd upped the distance to a mile and six furlongs but it's just what he wants

now!"

The Champion S. (Eng-G1) at Newmarket on October 17 will be the last of the

11 Breeders' Cup Challenge races held in Europe this year, with the winner of

10-furlong contest guaranteed a place in the $3 million Breeders' Cup Turf (G1).