Kevin Ryan hoping conditions will help Glass Slippers race to glory at Breeders’ Cup

Victory for the Yorkshire-trained four-year-old, the mount of Tom Eaves, would also be the filly’s third Group One win in a third different country.

She came to prominence when winning the 2019 Prix de l’Abbaye at Paris Longchamp and her second win at the highest level came this September when winning the Derrinstown Stud Flying Fifth Stakes at the Curragh on irish Champions Weekend.

Beaten a neck in her Abbaye defence last month, Hambleton-based Ryan hopes Glass Slippers can go one better than East, his first Breeders’ Cup runner, who was second to Newspaperofrecord in the 2018 Juvenile Fillies Turf.

“The Breeders’ Cup has been on our mind all season. She won the ‘Win and You’re In’ race at the Curragh and also ran well in the Abbaye from a bad draw,” said the trainer.

Ryan would not mind some rain in Kentucky this week for his filly.

He said: “She’s very versatile as far as the ground is concerned, but I think she is a better filly with some cut in the ground.”

The opening day of racing at Keeneland saw the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint go to Golden Pal with Ubettabelieveit an eyecatching third for North Yorkshire trainer Nigel Tinkler – jockey Rowan Scott kept his compsure after missing the break.

Meanwhile Oisin Murphy, currently riding at the Breeders’ Cup meeting, has been confirmed as the 2020 champion jockey today.

He finished the campaign on the 142-winner mark before flying to America on Tuesday – a lead that cannot be matched by his closest pursuer William Buick who drew a blank at Newcastle last night.

Though Buick has seven rides at Doncaster’s season-ending meeting, Murphy’s lead is an unassailable one of nine after a hard-fought campaign.

The runner-up’s cause was not helped by Thursday’s meeting at Kempton being abandoned to fog. Buick had already ridden two riders and had several more fancied chances before the weather intervened.

Murphy won the title for the first time in 2019 and is due to ride Guineas hero Kameko in tonight’s breeders’ Cup Mile.

Meanwhile Cieren Fallon junior, retained, like Murphy, by Qatar Racing, will be crowned as champion apprentice for a second successive year.

Jump racing has been given the green light to resume at Southwell next Friday following a safety review that has led to a number of modifications in the wake of several equine fatalities earlier this summer.

The British Horseracing Authority say safety – and future meetings – will continue to be scrutinised.

One For Arthur, winner of the 2017 Grand National, has been retired. “We are immensely grateful for what Arthur has done for us and the journey that he has taken us on,” said trainer Lucinda Russell last night.

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