Tuesday 26 August 2014 15:13, UK
Trainer Jamie Osborne has revealed the Breeders' Cup Classic is the most likely next objective for Toast Of New York following his excellent effort in defeat in California.
The three-year-old was a brilliant winner of the UAE Derby at Meydan earlier in the year, but after three months off the track, Toast Of New York ran below expectations when only sixth, albeit not disgraced, in last month's Belmont Derby.
Osborne quickly had a viable explanation for the below-par performance after his stable star returned a dirty scope and he bounced back with a fine second behind the hugely-exciting Shared Belief in the Del Mar Classic in the early hours of Monday morning.
Osborne said: "He's on his way home. He's stopped off in Amsterdam today, he'll stay there tonight and he should be back in Lambourn tomorrow afternoon. As far as I know, everything is fine with the horse.
"I had breakfast with Michael (Buckley, owner) before I left (California) on Monday and we're obviously going to take stock of the situation.
"I would guess Michael is quite keen to go for the Breeders' Cup Classic. We'll have to look into it as I'm not sure how much it would cost to put him in and all that sort of stuff, but that race is probably favourite at the moment."
If Toast Of New York does line up in the Breeders' Cup feature, he would be tackling dirt for the first time and Osborne has raised the possibility of him making a return trip to America early to familiarise himself with the surface.
"The obvious issue with going there is the surface. He has never run on dirt before, so it could be that we send him out there early. The race is not until November 1, so we have a good two months to weigh everything up," said the trainer.
"It might be a good idea to get a bit of a sense of how he will handle the dirt ahead of next year's Dubai World Cup, although I'm told the dirt surface at Santa Anita and the dirt at Meydan are likely to ride very differently.
"If he is going to go to the Breeders' Cup Classic he definitely won't have a run before then. There is nothing for him.
"The main thing is we're in a much stronger position now than we were after his run in New York. He has proved he is better than that.
"He's shown he deserves his place in these big races again and the adventure is still alive."
Coral make Toast Of New York a 20-1 shot for the Breeders' Cup Classic, with his Del Mar conqueror Shared Belief their 4-1 favourite.
Coral's David Stevens said: "No British-trained runner has ever won a Breeders' Cup Classic on dirt, so Toast Of New York would have to make history to triumph at Santa Anita.
"However, he has shown his versatility with a UAE Derby success on Tapeta and now an excellent second on Del Mar's Polytrack so we certainly wouldn't dismiss his chances if he heads back to California."