Spear Could Light Up The Tote Board

Four years ago, trainer David Simcock sent out Qatar Racing's admirably consistent galloper Trade Storm (GB) (Trade Fair {GB}) to finish a fine third in the GI Breeders' Cup Mile at Santa Anita. On Saturday, the same owner/trainer combination will take another shot at that same race at Churchill Downs-each in search of their first victories at the Breeders' Cup–with the 7-year-old veteran Lightning Spear (GB) (Pivotal {GB}).

Lightning Spear has been a stalwart in the key European mile races over the last four seasons, and after an agonizing six placings at the highest level, he at last broke through when besting fellow Mile contender Expert Eye (GB) (Acclamation {GB}) by 1 1/2 lengths in the G1 Sussex S. at Goodwood in August. That welcome effort followed a short-head second in the G1 Lockinge S. and a 3/4-length third in the G1 Queen Anne S. at Royal Ascot.

Lightning Spear departed Simcock's Trillium Place stables in Newmarket early Saturday and, despite a minor administrative hiccup, took the travel in his stride and arrived at Churchill Downs in good order.

“He arrived [Saturday] afternoon and he traveled very well,” said Simcock. “Unfortunately they were delayed in the unloading of the plane for about four hours but he's taken it all very well and he's arrived safely.”

Simcock makes the trip to Louisville-his first time there-on Friday, but wife Jennie, who rides Lightning Spear every day, and their two children, arrived on Monday.

Simcock, who has been training since 2004, has had three prior Breeders' Cup runners-Caspar Netscher (GB) (Dutch Art {GB}) finished eighth in the G1 Turf Sprint in 2014 on the same card as Trade Storm's third and I'm A Dreamer (Ire) (Noverre) was sixth in the GI Filly & Mare Turf in 2012-all at Santa Anita.

“The Breeders' Cup is very special and it's highly thought of in England,” Simcock said. “It's a championship in its own right and it's always exciting to have runners at the Breeders' Cup. We've raced at Santa Anita twice; we took a filly called I'm A Dreamer over for the [Filly & Mare Turf] and she ran very well although she was very unlucky in her run, and Trade Storm was third and Caspar Netscher we took over for the sprint at Santa Anita and he ran very well.”

“It's an exciting week and everybody thoroughly enjoys it. We've only been to Santa Anita so we don't know what to expect at Churchill, but we hope it's as good and as fun.”

A win at the Breeders' Cup would be fitting for Simcock, and it seems likely that it should happen someday, given the approach he has taken to travel his horses to put them in the right spots-especially older battlers of the ilk of Trade Storm, Lightning Spear and Sheikhzayedroad (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}), the winner of the G2 Zabeel Mile in Dubai and the GI Woodbine Mile in Canada. Simcock has collected trophies on some of Britain's biggest days, like at Royal Ascot and on British Champions Day, but he has also plundered prizes as far afield as Dubai, the U.S. and Canada. He won the GI Beverly D. S. at Arlington in 2012 with I'm A Dreamer, and just weeks ago Simcock made another successful voyage to Canada to take the GI Canadian International with Desert Encounter (Ire) (Halling)-a 6-year-old.

France has also been a happy hunting ground for Simcock; Dream Ahead (Diktat {GB}) won two of his five Group 1s there, and this past May Teppal (Fr) (Camacho {GB}) provided her trainer with his first Classic win the G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches.

Of his propensity to travel his horses, Simcock said, “To win a Group 1 in England is very, very hard and–without sounding disrespectful–to win a Grade I in the States is a touch easier. If we have a Group 2 or Group 3 horse, we know we can go over there and be very competitive in Grade Is in America.”

“Certain tracks really suit our horses, and the prizemoney is fantastic,” he added. “We've been very lucky to win the Beverly D., which was very special and we were very well looked after by Arlington. Canada has been a very good hunting ground for us too.”

Lightning Spear makes his sixth start of the season on Saturday; after his Sussex win on Aug. 1, he made late progress to be fifth, beaten 2 1/2 lengths, in the G1 Prix de Moulin de Longchamp on Sept. 9 and he was seventh behind Roaring Lion (Kitten's Joy) in the GI Queen Elizabeth II S. two weeks ago.

“This is probably a less-than-ideal prep running two weeks before the Breeders' Cup, but he actually had a relatively easy race at Ascot,” said Simcock. “He'll go to the Breeders' Cup relatively fresh.”

While Lightning Spear is admittedly a longshot at 16-1 in the antepost betting, Simcock pointed out some positives.

“A bend certainly suits the horse; he's got a great record at Goodwood where he won his Group 1 and he's won two Group 2s in the last two years, so he definitely appreciates a turn. What I'd love is a two-three-four-five draw where we can park him up; he has a high cruising speed. The track should really suit him. Hopefully we won't get too much rain and we'll just be racing on good ground.”

The trainer also pointed to Lightning Spear's consistency.

“In the last three years, he's only raced out of Group 1 company twice and on those two occasions he won two Group 2s,” he said. “He's danced all the dances at the top end and he's been very consistent. He's had a wonderful career, he's a very sound horse and a very straightforward horse to deal with so it would be lovely to go out on a good note.”

Indeed, Lightning Spear is set to join Roaring Lion on the burgeoning Tweenhills Stud roster next year, and Simcock said he expected this to be the horse's swansong.

“It would be nice to go out with a really good performance,” he said. “He's been ultra-consistent, he's won a lot of prizemoney and he's a very talented horse. He's also the most beautiful-looking horse and very straightforward to deal with. He's a lovely horse to be around, and my children can get closer to him than I can. He's a very kind horse and he's been very consistent.”