Michael Kinane will get a valuable pre-Breeders' Cup feel of the Churchill Downs turf tonight when he teams up with the Charles O'Brien-trained Lord Admiral in a Grade Three race.
Lord Admiral is set to take his chance in the River City Handicap run over nine furlongs and he will be one of the leading contenders based on a good third to the top US-based miler Aragorn in California on his first American start last month.
Kinane is pencilled in for the Aidan O'Brien-trained Leger winner Scorpion in tomorrow night's Breeders' Cup Turf over a mile and a half and the grass track at Churchill Downs has been causing some worry to those trainers who feel their horses need fast ground.
Rain showers have caused disquiet among the likes of Ed Dunlop who trains the top filly Ouija Board although weather conditions are expected to improve between now and tomorrow night.
Meanwhile, the Melbourne Cup has been rocked by tragedy with the news that David Elsworth's Wunderwood has been put down after a training mishap at Mornington racecourse in Melbourne.
The seven-year-old sustained a serious injury to his near pastern while warming up for a gallop and the decision was made to put the horse down.
"Wunderwood went for a gallop at Mornington racecourse, (and) just in the warm-up he faltered and unfortunately broke his near pastern, multiple fractures," said Racing Victoria director of racing operations Leigh Jordan.
"I have spoken to David (Elsworth) and just basically he said it was multiple fractures, the horse was in a lot of pain, the right decision was to put the horse down."
The top race at Down Royal today is the Grade Three Anglo Irish Bank Hurdle which kick-started Feathard Lady's season last year and which looks a relative penalty kick for Iktitaf this time.
Noel Meade's double Grade One winner was presented with a similar task on his first jumps start of the term at Punchestown last month and duly won easily from Davenport Democrat. The same horse looks the main threat among his three opponents and a similar display this time will only cement his place in the Champion Hurdle ante-post betting.
Tom Taaffe gives the highly-regarded Merdeka a first start over fences in the Beginners Chase and Ruby Walsh can guide the six-year-old to victory.
Fences and a distance of ground have always looked the real deal for Merdeka who wound up his hurdling campaign last February with an impressive defeat of Back To Bid at Naas.
Walsh also looks a significant booking for the Curragh maiden winner Deputy Consort who makes his jumping debut in the juvenile maiden hurdle while Sunday's Galway runner-up Druids Castle can secure some quick compensation at the expense of the Cheltenham placed Powerberry.
