Champion Oratorio will lead Aidan O'Brien's raid on Newmarket tomorrow and it looks like Horatio Nelson will be the one to provide back up as O'Brien goes head-to-head with Michael Stoute in pursuit of the champion trainers' title in Britain.
Already assured of yet another championship at home, in Britain O'Brien is nipping at the heels of Stoute who will be triple-handed in tomorrow's Champion Stakes, the centrepiece of a critical Group One day worth over £1 million.
Stoute's trio of Marahaal, Rob Roy and Chic were part of a 15-strong entry for the Champion Stakes with Oratorio, the ante-post favourite, the sole hope from Ballydoyle after both Ace and Mullins Bay were taken out.
However, it quickly emerged yesterday that last year's winner, Rakti, is extremely unlikely to try and double up after almost 10mms of overnight rain turned the ground soft at Newmarket.
"We are just down the road and we have had a lot of rain. I will speak to the owner but it is unlikely Rakti will run. We could wait for Hong Kong in December," said Rakti's trainer Michael Jarvis.
That weather update also looks like swinging things the way of Horatio Nelson for the Dewhurst Stakes and he appears a more likely O'Brien starter tomorrow than the hot 2,000 Guineas favourite George Washington.
O'Brien has already stated the going at Newmarket will have to be good or quicker for George Washington to take part even though that colt was one of nine declared for the race at yesterday's 48-hour final declaration stage.
Also in the final field are the unbeaten Sir Percy and the Champagne Stakes dead-heater Close To You. Crucially, though, Stoute is not represented in the Dewhurst and it's O'Brien's strength in depth for lucrative future races like the Racing Post Trophy that makes him favourite to eventually edge out Stoute as top trainer for the year. Stoute's lead yesterday was approximately £100,000 which could be wiped out tomorrow.
Alexander Goldrun, seeking a fifth Group One career success, will represent Jim Bolger in the Champion Stakes, but she will not be the only Irish filly on international duty tomorrow.
John Velazquez will again team up with the David Wachman-trained Luas Line in the $500,000 Queen Elizabeth II Cup at Keeneland and the partnership will try and follow up their Belmont win in the Garden City Stakes last month.
A total of seven fillies are set to line up at Keeneland including Karen's Caper who ran sixth for John Gosden in the Matron Stakes at Leopardstown.
Also in action in the US tomorrow night will be Dermot Weld's Miss Mambo who is one of seven entries for the Grade Three Athenia Handicap at Belmont Park.
However, there could be a late change to Weld's plans as the nine-furlong race appears likely to be switched from the turf course to the main dirt track.
Over six inches of rain has fallen on Long Island in New York this week and with the Breeders' Cup meeting scheduled for just 15 days time, the Belmont authorities are reportedly on the verge of switching the turf races in order to protect the track for the major fixture at the end of the month.
Miss Mambo is down to be ridden in the $100,000 event by the top local jockey Javier Castellano.
The Weld team have had better news from Australia regarding Vinnie Roe's condition after his colic attack while travelling from Ireland. The star stayer is back in light exercise at his quarantine base at Sandown Park just outside Melbourne.
Other Irish runners at Newmarket tomorrow are likely to be the Jim Bolger pair Abigail Pett in the Rockfel Stakes and Democratic Deficit in the Challenge Stakes.
