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Originally Posted by Pedigree Ann
North American-breds, yes, several times. North American-trained, no, mainly because it has rarely been tried, if at all. Longchamps, the track where the Arc is run, is a horseshoe-shaped RIGHT-handed track, which is the biggest hurdle for US-types, along with the soft ground that so often turns up for the Arc. US-raced horses never have to turn right-handed at speed, they have never developed the muscles or flexibility on that side (unlike Euro-horses) and would be running with a major disadvantage.
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Melbourne based horses float over and go the Sydney way with success all of the time.
The biggest hurdle for US types is their inferiority, not the layout at Longchamp.
The only horse that I can recall who absolutely detested going right handed is Vroom Vroom from the David Hayes stable a couple of years back. He has since died of a heart attack, but that horse was a terror going left-handed, and absolutely useless going right handed.
Vroom Vroom dies during trackwork
Monday, 28 August 2006:
David Hayes lost one of his main Cox Plate hopes when Vroom Vroom suffered a massive haemorrhage during trackwork at Lindsay Park on Monday and died.
"He wasn't working particularly fast either," Hayes said of the bold frontrunning imported six-year-old.
"He didn't drop but gradually slowed down, collapsed and died.
"He was one of my main Cox Plate hopes."
Vroom Vroom was a Group One winner of the Argentine Guineas and had won three of his first four starts in Argentina before being sent to Hayes in Hong Kong.
He failed to adapt to the right-handed direction of racing there, being placed just once in nine Hong Kong starts.
Hayes brought him to Melbourne where he excelled the left-handed way, winning four races including the Listed Auckland Racing Club Stakes (1600m) at Flemington.
The gelding ran third to Our Smoking Joe in the St George Stakes (1800m) at Caulfield and a close fourth to Roman Arch in the Australian Cup (2000m) at Flemington.
Vroom Vroom hadn't raced since finishing fourth to Cosmo Bulk in the Singapore International Cup (2000m) at Kranji on May 14.
He was due to resume in Adelaide on Saturday week.