Newmarket's Champion Stakes is emerging as a more likely Breeders' Cup warm-up for Giant's Causeway than Belmont's Jockey Club Gold Cup, but Aidan O'Brien hasn't ruled out the possibility that his stable star will wait until the Breeders' Cup Classic itself for a racing career finale.
Both the British and American races are on Saturday week, with the Breeders' Cup in Kentucky on November 4th.
"Newmarket looks the more likely if we decide to give him a race before the Breeders' Cup," O'Brien said yesterday. "New York would be a long way to travel just three weeks before the Breeders' Cup, but it's possible we could head straight for Kentucky."
Giant's Causeway, who failed to scoop a sixth successive Group One pot when beaten by Observatory at Ascot, will be retired at the end of this season to Coolmore Stud. But he is rated a 4 to 1 third favourite by Coral for the Classic behind the American duo of Lemon Drop Kid and Fusaichi Pegasus.
In the meantime, O'Brien is eyeing up Sunday's French Group One prize, the Grand Criterium at Longchamp, with a large entry, possibly headed by the Prix de la Salamandre runner-up Honours List.
The unbeaten 2,000 Guineas favourite Hemingway will wait, however, possibly for a crack at the Dewhurst Stakes or Doncaster's Racing Post Trophy. "Hemingway is back in full work and is a possible for Newmarket," he added.
If we're talking about the top grade at today's Thurles fixture, then we're talking about the jumpers, with the former Grand National winner Space Trucker taking on the former Galway Plate scorer Moscow Express and last season's top novice, Frozen Groom, trying to surprise both.
But the five-runner Tipperary Chase is the odd one out in a card that has 136 runners and a remarkable 163 others balloted out. Sixty-three of those failed to get into the Nenagh Handicap Hurdle, but a possible bet for the day could be Super Fellow in the October Handicap.
John Murtagh is a significant booking for a horse who ran well on his first start in over a year over an inadequate trip at Fairyhouse, and Tony Martin's charge is preferred to Hip Pocket and Back To Bolgers, who won at Listowel with Murtagh on board.
Brian Meehan's Potaro mastered his six rivals with ease in the Group Three Prix Eclipse over an extended six furlongs at Saint-Cloud yesterday. The British-based juvenile, an 8 to 1 chance on the pari-mutuel, dominated from the front under Gerald Mosse and was three lengths clear of German-trained Inzar's Best at the line.
Potaro was showing a substantial improvement in form, having landed a modest maiden at Warwick on his previous start.
