SHAKESPEARE LOOKING TOUGH TO BEAT IN BREEDERS' CUP TURF

It's most unusual to see an American horse do as well on turf as SHAKESPEARE (34). He was seriously impressive when beating smart rivals at Saratoga in August - showing extraordinary acceleration to leave them for dead. Then, off a stronger early pace, he lowered the nine furlong course record to 1:45 at Belmont Park when taking a Grade 2. Finally last Saturday he went and won the Grade 1 Turf Classic over the same course and distance that the Breeders' Cup Turf is set to be run.

The pace was horribly lopsided in the Turf Classic. They ran 1: 16 for the first six furlongs then sprinted the last six in 1:11. Shakespeare was parked wide when the sprint began and was forced to race wide all the way round Belmont's long home turn. Nonetheless he got up to win from the smart three year old English Channel with Coolmore's Ace (33) back in third.

I'm not quite up and running with my US speed ratings, but it looks like when he won over nine furlongs Shakespeare ran a time that would make him the equal of anything the Europeans might send over for the Breeders' Cup Turf. And he'll have a major edge over them in that he's got valuable experience of the course and local conditions.

Shakespeare is now unbeaten in five lifetime starts, and I've been an ever more fervent fan from his third outing on. He's the spitting image of his sire Theatrical who won the Breeders' Cup Turf, and I think he has a serious chance of emulating him.