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| Staff Writer |
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Algiers, the Dubai World Cup runner-up, is being readied for a dirt campaign in the US this autumn, with the Breeders’ Cup at Santa Anita in November as the ultimate goal.
Trainers Simon and Ed Crisford are targeting the Gr.1 Breeders’ Cup Big Ass Fans Dirt Mile on 4th November, where Algiers is a 10-1 contender on bet365. The talented older horse trained on the Polytrack facility along the Cambridge Road in Newmarket on Tuesday morning, and it is hoped that he will have a prep run in the US before the end of September.
Ed Crisford said, "Algiers worked nicely on the all-weather and we’ve also had him on the grass in the last couple of weeks. He’s had the summer off after his great spell in Dubai in the spring and is now on the way back.
"The plan is the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile rather than the Classic at this stage and hopefully he can ship out to the US later this month. There are warm-up options in New York and also in Kentucky for him."
Algiers had an impressive run at the Dubai World Cup Carnival, winning the first two legs of the Al Maktoum Challenge at Meydan. However, in the Dubai World Cup itself in March, Algiers was beaten by two and three-quarter lengths into second place by Japanese runner Ushba Tesoro.
In preparation for the Breeders' Cup, Algiers may consider participating in the Gr.3 Ack Ack Stakes. This race takes place over a mile on dirt at Churchill Downs on 30th September and is a 'win and you're in' event for the Breeders' Cup.
It is worth noting that no trainer outside the US has ever won the Ack Ack Stakes, but it has proven to be a successful route to the Breeders' Cup. In fact, the 2018 winner of the Ack Ack Stakes, Seeking The Soul, went on to finish second in the Dirt Mile later that year.