The burning questions in a huge week of racing

WORLD CLASS: an analysis of the international scene according to Racing Post Ratings

A huge week of international racing to look forward to, so I've had a look at the burning questions that will be answered in the next seven days.

Will the Breeders' Cup Classic go to A, B, C or none of the above?

For a long time this year there was no standout choice for the Classic, then three serious contenders emerged.

Havre De Grace and Uncle Mo shot into contention with impressive wins at Belmont Park and while So You Think is an unknown on the dirt, his class and consistency make him hard to ignore as third best.

Havre De Grace has clearly improved this year and judged on her wide-margin win in the Beldame last time she is still improving.

She has already beaten the boys (including Flat Out) in the Woodward and she looks the horse most likely to give her running - it just comes down to whether something can improve past her.

Uncle Mo will likely go off favourite despite concerns over his ability to handle the trip.

You've got to remember there were similar worries with Sea The Stars in the Derby and Fame And Glory in the Ascot Gold Cup and it is possible that in all of these cases the trip was put forward because there were no other holes in the armoury and it was the only slight doubt over the class horse winning the race.

Uncle Mo won the Breeders' Cup Juvenile at the same track last year over 1m½f (wasn't stopping, murdered them) and in any normal instance you would expect a horse that could get that trip at two to stay 1m2f at three.

Third-favourite So You Think has the classto be right up there in this year's Classic. Trainer Aidan O'Brien has previous here, having saddled Giant's Causeway to finish second in the race back in 2000, although that horse was American bred.

The European winning record on dirt at the Breeders' Cup is poor, with just two Juvenile winners in the last ten years - both of whom were US bred.

If Havre De Grace and Uncle Mo hadn't popped up in the last month, So You Think would have a great chance here - if adapting to the dirt he would likely have won - but now he has some proper competition.

If So You Think, Havre De Grace or Uncle Mo don't win it would probably be hard to call this a good Classic, with nothing else having a conventional winner's profile.

If none of that trio come out on top it may also confirm suspicions that this was a weak year for the horse population in the States.

But it shouldn't come to that, should it?

Havre De Grace will run her race and if Uncle Mo can ran to 129 or better he might beat her; a winner to celebrate, slow start to US season forgotten. Goodnight Breeders' Cup. Right?

Who will take the American Horse of the Year title?

Linked to the previous question.

The Classic winner has been named American Horse of the Year in five of the last eleven years.

A further two of those HOTYs (Zenyatta and Curlin) had excuses when losing the Classic, while Mineshaft and Point Given might have won the Classic but suffered career-ending injuries by that stage of the season.

The only other HOTYs in the last eleven years were distaffers. Azeri won five Grade 1s including the Breeders' Cup Distaff by five lengths and Rachel Alexandra won five Grade 1s including three against the boys.

So, essentially, the prize normally goes to the best horse in the 1m2f division.

If Gracie or Mo land the Classic, they could claim the divisional title and would be obvious choices for the Eclipse award.

If So You Think won, however, it would puncture the US 1m2f division mightily, so the prize could go elsewhere entirely. Likewise, if an outsider won the Classic it could also send the prize elsewhere.

I said it in July and I'll say it again. If that division can not find a leader Goldikova is the obvious choice.

She already holds the record of Breeders' Cup wins with three and she bids to extend that to four in the Mile on Saturday.

Of course she still has to win the Mile, but she has already shown she can winit from anywhere in the field and that the tight turns of Churchill play to her strengths.

One run in America is not the norm for HOTYs, but she has three previous high-profile victories in the States and if the conventional type of HOTY (1m2f divisional leader) cannot be found, her unequalled show of longevity at the highest level is very deserving of the top award.

Stick to the brief, Walker.What was the best performance last week?

Caulfield Guineas winner Atlantic Jewel (124+) was really impressive in the Group 2 Wakeful Stakes at Flemington on Saturday, winning by a cosy seven lengths.

She posted the joint-highest RPR of the week alongside Tosen Jordan, who landed the Tenno Sho (Autumn) at Tokyo on Sunday.

Overall World Top Ten

Top Turf Performers

Top Dirt Performers

Top AW Performers

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