[Kasept]

HERSH: Europeans begin arriving today for Breeders' Cup

Twelve horses based in England and France and one from Ireland are expected to arrive in three shipments sometime today at Santa Anita for Breeders' Cup races Friday and Saturday.

The first English group includes Home of the Brave (Mile or Turf Sprint), Dutch Connection (Mile), Mehronissa (Turf Sprint), and Rodaini (Juvenile Turf). Latharnach seemed very unlikely to get into the Mile and so wasn't shipped. Neither was Pleaseletmewin (Juvenile Turf), who was pre-entered but subsequently was sold and taken out of BC consideration. Mehronissa isn't among the 14 selected for the over-subscribed Turf Sprint and will race instead in the Senator Ken Maddy Stakes if she doesn't get in.

The second shipment of England-based horses has more prime players, and consists of Limato (Mile), Mondialiste (almost certainly Turf, but also pre-entered in Mile, Suedois (Turf Sprint), Ulysses (Turf), and Queen's Trust (Filly & Mare Turf). Intricately (Juvenile Fillies Turf) is trained in Ireland by Joseph O'Brien but is shipping today rather than on Monday with the large group that will be sent by his father, trainer Aidan O'Brien.

Shipping today from France are Karar (Mile or Turf Sprint), Cavale Doree (JF Turf), and Spectre (Mile). A fourth French horse, Erupt, was taken out of consideration for the Turf on Friday.

All these horses will still be quarantined Sunday morning and won't be permitted to train until their bloodwork is cleared by USDA officials, probably Monday.

The Aidan O'Brien horses are due into Southern California mid-afternoon Monday, and the shipment is scheduled to include Intelligence Cross (JT), Lancaster Bomber (JT), Roly Poly (JFT), Hydrangea (JFT), Promise to be True (JFT, but could run instead in France on Sunday), Seventh Heaven (F & M Turf), Pretty Perfect (FMT), Washington DC (Turf Sprint), Alice Springs (Mile), Cougar Mountain (Mile), Hit it a Bomb (Mile), Highland Reel (Turf), and Found (Classic or Turf).