Japan Cup could be Highland Reel’s next target

Highland Reel secured Aidan O'Brien an 11th Breeders Cup success in Saturday night's $4million Turf at Santa Anita and the colt could next attempt to break new ground for the champion trainer in the Japan Cup later this month.

O’Brien has won Group One races in nine countries during his remarkable career but Japan has largely remained off his top-flight radar.

He did however saddle Joshua Tree to finish tenth in the Japan Cup six years ago and an attempt at the Tokyo highlight in less than three weeks time by Highland Reel hasn't been ruled out after his dramatic victory in Los Angeles.

"He isn't finished yet this year as he's in the Japan Cup and a race in Hong Kong, " said O'Brien.

“The Japan Cup is in three weeks and the Hong Kong race is six weeks away. He could take in one of those or he could possibly do both. We’ll take him home and see how he is.”

Fast ground

Highland Reel wound up 2015 by giving O’Brien a first Group One victory in Hong Kong when landing the International Vase there and he is rated a 7-2 shot by some firms for both that race and the ten furlong Cup on the same

Sha Tin

card in December.

However Highland Reel is also as low as 3-1 for the Japan Cup which is run over a mile and a half and usually on the same sort of fast ground conditions that Highland Reel enjoyed at Santa Anita.

He provided Ballydoyle's No.2 jockey Seamus Heffernan with a first ever Breeders Cup success and the 45-year-old Kildare rider received widespread praise for an enterprising ride that saw him quickly take the lead and make a decisive race-winning move with over half a mile to go.

Flintshire failed to overhaul the Irish star in the straight while O’Brien’s Arc winner, Found, who finished ahead of Highland Reel at Chantilly, was third. She was immediately retired afterwards.

Heffernan has been a stalwart of O’Brien’s Ballydoyle operation for 20 years and has enjoyed another productive year, including winning the Irish Oaks on Seventh Heaven last July. “More recently my name is coming out of the hat for rides and I’m happy with my position,” he said. “There’s no pressure. I’m never really on the first string, though the first and third string can be equal, never mind the second string.”

Heffernan had been on board the best of O’Brien’s other Breeders Cup runners on Friday as Lancaster Bomber finished runner-up in the Juvenile Turf and the trainer was keen to sing the praises of his old ally.

“Everyone knows Seamus is a very special fellow. I think we’re together for 20 years and nobody knows all the big horses better than Seamus. He’s a master of his craft, a world class jockey, always has been.

Flintshire’s jockey, Javier Castellano, summed up the general view at Santa Anita.

“He [Heffernan] tried to steal the race and he stole it,” said one of the USA’s top riders. “It was unfortunate for my horse. Usually you don’t see the European horses run so aggressively, open up and carry their speed, especially at a mile and a half. But it worked out great for him.”

The only other European winner at the 2016 Breeders Cup was Sir Michael Stoute's Queens Trust who who edged out Lady Eli in the Filly & Mare Turf. O'Brien's Seventh Heaven was fourth.

American racing’s most prestigious event wound up in the early hours of Sunday morning with Arrogate running down the favourite California Chrome by half a length in the $6 million Classic.