US pilots enlisted in O'Brien cause

Aidan O'Brien has turned to the top US jockeys Garrett Gomez and Johnny Velazquez for the Arlington Million meeting in Chicago tonight after Kieren Fallon's late bid to ride Ace and Ivan Denisovich failed in the American courts.

Fallon had looked for an injunction to restrain an Illinois Racing Board decision to reciprocate a British ban and prevent him riding. Fallon won last year's race on board Powerscourt.

But failure in the courts has resulted in Gomez, a Breeders' Cup winner last year, getting the Million ride on Ace, while the Secretariat Stakes hope Ivan Denisovich will be ridden by Velazquez.

Gomez is among the top rank of jockeys in America and has ridden over 130 winners this year, earning over $10 million in prize money. Ace is rated a 5 to 1 shot in Chicago against the two top local hopes, Cacique and English Channel, who have been handed wide draws. Ace, in contrast, is in stall three of the 11 runners.

Ivan Denisovich will have just five opponents in the $400,000 Secretariat, but they include the hot favourite, Showing Up, who ran sixth on dirt last May in the Kentucky Derby. Primary will be the British hope.

Jamie Spencer will team up with O'Brien in Deauville tomorrow, where Ad Valorem will try to secure the third Group One of his career in the Prix Jacques Le Marois.

Eleven horses will line up for the mile feature, which also includes Peeress from the Michael Stoute yard and the main local horse, Stormy River, who won the Prix Jean Prat on his last start.

"I still think George Washington, Araafa and our horse are the top three-year-old milers - but none of them have beaten older horses yet," said Stormy River's trainer, Nicholas Clement, yesterday.

"If he can beat them in a championship race like the Marois then he can be counted a champion."

Ad Valorem, however, had the form of his Queen Anne win in June boosted by Court Masterpiece in the Sussex Stakes last week.

At home, Cunninghams Folly is 17lb higher than when winning his penultimate start, but Ruby Walsh's mount still looks good enough to complete a course and distance hat-trick at Kilbeggan tonight.

Glentorpe won a point-to-point last year and could be the one in the Beginners Chase, while Guilt can successfully revert to jumps in the first handicap chase.