Breeders' Cup: Euros won't hit the track until Tuesday

LEXINGTON, Ky. – The 34 horses that shipped Saturday to Kentucky from England, France, and Ireland didn’t clear the United States Department of Agriculture quarantine in time to train Monday but are expected to take to the track Tuesday morning.

Most of the action is expected to take place on Keeneland’s synthetic training track, which is located just down a hill from the clubhouse turn on the main track and just up the hill from the international quarantine barn on the west side of the group of barns being used this week to house Breeders’ Cup runners.

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Aidan O’Brien, expected to be on hand for Tuesday morning training, may send his horses to the main track.

O’Brien has two horses for the Breeders’ Cup Turf, Broome and Stone Age, while three more Turf horses, Rebel’s Romance and Nations Pride for trainer Charlie Appleby, and Mishriff for co-trainers John and Thady Gosden, shipped here from England.

The Turf is expected to mark the career finale for Mishriff, who, with nearly $16 million in earnings, is one of the highest-earning horses ever. Mishriff’s last start also will be his first in blinkers. The 5-year-old horse has gone winless in six races this year, though he has performed competitively against top-level competition such as Baaeed, Europe’s best horse of 2022, and Vadeni, the French Derby-winning 3-year-old. Mishriff has been his own worst enemy on several occasions, breaking very poorly three times, and the addition of blinkers could help get the horse into the Turf sooner, which will be required if he's to have any chance of winning.

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