Americain is on track to defend the Melbourne Cup after a first-up win in a small field in the Listed Prix de Reux (2500m) at Deauville yesterday.

After disappointing in two runs in France earlier in the year, the Australian-owned Americain (b or br h 2005, Dynaformer (USA)-America (IRE), by Arazi (USA)) swooped on the leader inside the final 200m and quickened impressively to win by a length for his Melbourne Cup winning jockey Gerald Mosse.

Americain started second favourite at odds of 21/10. Diamond Boy (17/2) was second a short head in front of Burma Gold (6/1) with another length to 6/4 favourite Ley Hunter. The well-credentialled Gentoo was fifth ahead of Americain’s stablemate Maria Royal.

www.racingpost.com reported that trainer Alain de Royer Dupre said of Americain: “He was not happy in the spring (when unplaced in staying races at Saint-Cloud and Longchamp) and it takes time to recover after crossing the world (for wins in the Geelong and Melbourne Cups and a third in the International Vase at Sha Tin in Hong Kong).

“Americain is a seasonal horse who comes to his best at this time. The horse is now spot on. Like last year, he will now go and try to win another Prix Kergorlay (August 21) and then go into quarantine. He may not have another race before the Melbourne Cup.

“Gerald (Mosse) gets on very well with the horse, who was looking magnificent today and he has never had any problems.”

That opinion was mirrored by Mosse. He told the website’s reporter: “Americain is one of the best looking horses I have ever sat on and he is coming back to his best. He picked up nicely after a flat spot.”

Americain was among Caulfield Cup and the Cox Plate nominations announced by Racing Victoria yesterday and will be in Melbourne Cup noms when they are published early next month.

Owners Gerry Ryan and Kevin Bamford are keen for the horse to run in the Group 1 Cox Plate (wfa, 2400m) at Moonee Valley on October 22 if de Royer Dupre wants Americain to have an Australian lead-up race for the November 1 Cup over 3200m.

In the 150th Melbourne Cup last year, Americain beat Maluckyday and So You Think.

So You Think, then in the care of Bart Cummings but now trained by Aidan O’Brien for Coolmore in Ireland after Dato Tan Chin Nam sold a controlling interest to the stud, has been entered in the Cox Plate, which he won in 2009 and 2010.

However, Coolmore’s Australian chief Tom Magnier indicated that stablemate Cape Blanco was a more likely starter. So You Think’s next start will be the Group 1 Irish Champion Stakes (2000m) at Leopardstown in Dublin on September 3, with the Group 1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (2400m), Europe’s premier weight-for-age feature, at Longchamp in Paris on October 2, believed to be preferred to the Cox Plate as the main target.

Lion Tamer could be a surprise early spring arrival in Melbourne, according to his trainer Murray Baker.

Baker (pictured) said that the 2010 Victoria Derby winner was a chance to be in Melbourne to run in the Group 2 Memsie Stakes (1400m, Caulfield) on August 27.

The Memsie Stakes clashes with the Group 1 Mudgway Stakes (1400m, Hasting) in New Zealand, but Baker is keen to come to Melbourne early.

“I have entered him for the Mudgway, but my preference at this stage is to come to Melbourne for the Memsie Stakes – I think it is an ideal race for him,” Baker said.

The Cambridge trainer added that Lion Tamer would then have two weeks to the Dato Tan Chin Nam Stakes (1600m) at Moonee Valley, which would give the 4YO another start around Moonee Valley as part of his preparation for a run in the Group 1 Cox Plate (2040m) on October 22.

Lion Tamer finished a terrific second behind Rekindled Interest in the Group 2 AAMI Vase (2040m) on Cox Plate day last year, a week before his easy win in the Derby seven days later.

Baker also said that his Melbourne Cup hopeful Harris Tweed, who has recovered from a throat operation, would accompany Lion Tamer to Melbourne and kick off his campaign in the Listed Heatherlie Handicap (1700m) on the same day as the Memsie.

“He’s not making any noise in his work, so I am hopeful he will have a good campaign,” Baker said.

Australian Michael Freedman has had his best meeting since settling as a trainer in Singapore when he won the two main races on the Kranji card yesterday.

Freedman, who moved to Singapore in April 2008 after working with brother Lee in Victoria, won the Group 3 Magic Millions Juvenile Championship (1200m) with Mr Big and the Group 2 Chairman’s Trophy (1800m) with Always Certain.

After seven seconds in 22 starts, Not A Single Doubt gelding Always Certain had been tagged a ‘bridesmaid’ at the top level, but a sixth win and a first at Group 2 made start No. 23 memorable for connections.

Always Certain, who is usually ridden by Freedman’s stable jockey Danny Beasley – this time Breasley was on the unplaced Intercept for top trainer Laurie Laxon – gave another Australian, John Powell, his second Group success within two weeks after winning the Group 1 Singapore Derby (2000m) on Clint on July 17.

Gun three-year-old Gingerbread Man, ridden by Victorian Vlad Duric, looked to have the Chairman’s Trophy sewn up when he hit the lead at the 200m, but Always Certain ($35, for a $5 unit) emerged from the pack to win by a half-length. The fast-finishing Risky Business (Craig Williams), who flew from last, was third.

Always Certain, bought by Lee Freedman for $60,000 at the 2008 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, has earned almost $S800,000 at Kranji.

Beasley didn’t go empty-handed, winning on Mr Big ($15, for a $5 unit), who showed he was Singapore’s best two-year-old with his authoritative performance – just over two months ago he won the only other two-year-old feature run at Kranji, the Aushorse Golden Horseshoe.

The Singapore Turf Club’s website, www.turfclub.com.sg, reported that the horse Mr Big beat by a neck in the Golden Horseshoe, Dark Matter, was backed into short-priced favouritism ($9) in the Juvenile Championship.

But Mr Big underlined that he was top dog when he beat stablemate Rush and Destiny Action.

Dark Matter was a fraction slow out of the gates and was settled at the rear by leading Melbourne jockey Craig Williams, who was testing the Stratum colt for a possible tilt at the spring carnival riches in Melbourne. He was a disappointing sixth.

“He came around runners, but in the home straight he just did not accelerate,” Williams told the website. “I think he was totally out of his comfort zone today.”

Williams didn’t ride a winner from six tries – he had three placings.

Singapore’s premier jockey, Brazilian Joao Moreira, had a big weekend, riding four winners on Friday and on Sunday. His great eight lifted him to 77 wins for the season, 22 ahead of Duric (55).

Other Australians: 5th, Ronnie Stewart 28 wins; 6th, Powell 26; 8th, Beasley, 23.

Freedman sits with another Australian, Brian Dean, just outside the top 10 trainers on 26 wins.

Top of the list is New Zealander Laurie Laxon (47) from South African Patrick Shaw (42). Australians Steven Burridge 39 and Don Baertschiger 35 are next, from Kiwi Mark Walker 34 and Aussie Cliff Brown 32.

Meanwhile, Shaw has announced that Singapore’s champion sprinter Rocket Man will not take on Black Caviar in the Group 1 Patinack Farm Classic (1200m) at Flemington this spring.

Shaw, who had intended to inspect quarantine facilities at Werribee this month, cited the time Rocket Man would have to spend in quarantine as the reason for choosing to race in Japan and Hong Kong instead.

With Black Caviar not travelling abroad until next year, Rocket Man looks to have the two Asian races at his mercy.

Black Caviar, provided she comes up this campaign, appears to have the Patinack in the bag and if she wins she will then be eligible for a $600,000 bonus if she goes on to win at Royal Ascot in England in June – the bonus, of course, was offered by the Victoria Racing Club to lure Rocket Man to challenge Australia’s unbeaten sprint star.

Connections of Black Caviar threatened to race her elsewhere because she wasn’t eligible for the bonus, and the VRC changed the terms to include post-Patinack Global sprint races as well as pre-Patinack.

Another champion mare, France’s great miler Goldikova, won the Group 1 Prix Rothschild at Deauville yesterday, her fourth success in the 1600m race and her 14th Group 1 win.

Goldikova (by Anabaa (USA)) is the only horse to win the same Group 1 race in France since the European Pattern was introduced in 1971. Yeats, of course, won the Ascot Gold Cup (3200m) four times at Royal Ascot from 2006-09. Yeats (by Sadler’s Wells (USA)) was seventh in the 2007 Melbourne Cup won by Delta Blues.  He is at stud at Coolmore in Ireland.

Jockey Olivier Peslier had a milestone day at Deauville, too – the Goldikova win was his 100th Group 1 success. He has ridden the mare in all her 24 starts, for 17 wins.

The recent importation of the stallion Daliapour to stand in Victoria sparked me to think that this is a horse ideal to breed not only capable stayers and, possibly, champion jumpers.

Daliapour (pictured), a son of the great Sadler’s Wells (USA), ticks all the right boxes to produce hardy, sound horses who could make jumpers. Daliapour is from the right sire-line and he was a tough, durable and outstanding racehorse at the Classic 2400m distance – he won the 2000 G1 Coronation Cup (Epsom, 2400m) and the 2000 G1 International Vase (Sha Tin, 2400m) as well as runner-up in the 1999 G1 Epsom and Irish Derbys.

Daliapour also will stand at a fee of $3000 at Woodside Park, Tylden, so he’s in the right price range for breeders with patience.

Dalipour’s arrival also had me thinking that the jumping industry should be trying to breed horses to jump. The state government’s decision to boost jumps racing with a $2 million handout is very welcome, but does it go far enough to help resurrect this maligned section of the racing industry?

I believe that for long-term survival of jumps racing we need to breed horses for that specific purpose. I don’t believe that the current model of using failed flat horses is a sustainable long-term model for the industry to prosper, although horses such as Capecover, Our Aristocrat and Cats Fun competed well at the highest level on the flat before switching to the “up and overs”.

There is little hope of Victoria having a commercial jumps breeding arm –as Ireland has with its National Hunt Stud – but it is possible that with assistance from Government and Racing Victoria a breeding program could be fostered. I see no reason why the equine education colleges that have a breeding emphasis, such as Northern TAFE and South West (Glenorminston) College, couldn’t be encouraged to stand stallions for the specific purpose of breeding strong, athletic stayers for the jumping.

I see such a breeding scheme also taking the resultant jumps-bred foals right through the education process, including teaching them to jump, before they are made available to the wider community as three-year-olds – humans and horses learning together. Only the sound and capable horses would make it through the system to become the backbone of the next generation of jumpers.

This scheme would take six to 10 years before the fruits of such an ideal would ripen, but if the general racing industry and the minister, Denis Napthine, who is an enthusiastic jumps supporter, are serious about preserving jumps racing, a breeding/education scheme is worth considering.

The key to the success of such an idea is to breed very sound horses with enough turn-of-foot to be competitive over hurdles before switching to the bigger jumps. We have the suitable stallions, but they need to be matched with the right, sound and strong-boned mares to produce the ideal foals. The cost of this scheme is to invest in the right mares.

In Ireland, it is the depth of the breeding that gives the National Hunt its pool of horses. Interestingly, most of the champion jumps sires of the past 20 years have been quality flat racehorses at 2400 metres – these stallions include Denman’s sire Presenting (by Mtoto (GB), a son of Epsom Derby (2400m) winner Busted), who was third in the 1995 Epsom Derby, and Old Vic (by Sadler’s Wells (USA)), winner of the 1989 Irish Derby and French Derby (2100m), and more recently another Sadler’s Wells son King Theatre, winner of the 1994 King George and Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2400m).

The famed Coolmore Stud cut its teeth in the stallion game with its National Hunt stallions, headed by Supreme Leader (by Bustino (GB)), who was placed third in the 1985 Irish 2000 Guineas before his fourth in the 1985 Epsom Derby.

An exception to the flat horses becoming the best hunt sires is the champion French-bred Roselier (by Misti IV (FR)), who stood with great success in Ireland until his death in 1998. The grey stallion only raced once on the flat before switching to jumping and winning the French Champion Hurdle.

There are three important things these sires passed onto their progeny – courage, soundness and the ability to jump.

The only sire-line in Australia that could be developed for producing jumping stallions is the Sir Tristram/Zabeel line. Zabeel has sired some outstanding jumpers including the champions Marlborough and Zabenz. One of his Victorian-based sons Tully Zeal (fee is only $1650) is leaving a few handy runners from limited opportunities for his owner Peter White, so he fits the profile.

Some of Australia’s most influence jumps sires of the past included Solar Bear (by Solario (GB)), Ottoman (by Blue Peter (GB)) and Zamazaan (by Exbury (FR)).

Mornington trainer David Brideoake, a former top equestrian rider, is not sure Australia is ready to breed its own stayers, but he conceded that it is worthy of consideration. “For the way that we race, National Hunt is probably breeding horses that are too slow,” he said.

Brideoake stands Oh Oklahoma (by the Sadler’s Wells grandson, Singspiel (GB)), runner-up in the 2006 G1 Rosehill Guineas, who he said was one a number of horses in Australia ideally suited to producing stayers for jumping.

Brideoake is right; we need to produce a faster, more athletic jumper than they do in Europe, but that should be part of a well-planned, well-executed process. Jump to it.

Victorian Craig Williams’ flying visit to Singapore for Sunday’s Group races at Kranji involves testing top two-year-old Dark Matter for Melbourne’s spring carnival.

Williams has six rides at Kranji after six at Caulfield tomorrow. In addition to the Steven Burridge-trained Dark Matter in the Group 3 Magic Millions Juvenile Championship (1200m), he will be on Risky Business for Burridge in the Group 2 Chairman’s Trophy (1800m).

Burridge told www.turfclub.com.sg that owner Tan Kai Chah was keen to send rising three-year-old Dark Matter (b c 2008, Stratum-Loving New (BRZ), by Choctaw Ridge (USA)) – a $140,000 buy at the 2010 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale – to Melbourne for the Group 1 $1 million Caulfield Guineas (1600m) on October 8.

Originally another Melbourne-based jockey, Glen Boss, was going to take the ride in the MM race, but when he left Singapore two weeks ago after a three-month stint, Williams was engaged.

“We wanted one of the top jockeys from Melbourne to ride the horse and to get the feel of him to see whether he would measure up down below,” Burridge said. “We have a race like the Caulfield Guineas in mind for him, but first of all we want to get his opinion.

“If he doesn’t think he will measure up then he can stay up here. There are still plenty of races that will suit him.”

Burridge said Tan had his appetite whetted for the Melbourne spring carnival after Jolie’s Shinju 2009 trip – the mare, who is in Australia and due to foal to Shamardal in September, had four runs in Melbourne in September and October, with her best effort being a 3.8-length third to Whobegotyou in the Group 2 Dato Tan Chin Nam Stakes (1600m) at Moonee Valley.

“Dr Tan owns horses all around the world and he certainly wants to be at the spring carnival again,” Burridge said. “We have made some tentative enquiries about quarantine, but there has been no planning from our point of view as yet. We will see how he runs on Sunday.”

After winning his first two starts, Dark Matter, ridden by top local jockey Saimee Jumaat, was a narrow and perhaps unlucky second to Mr Big in the Group 2 Aushorse Golden Horseshoe (1200m) at Kranji on May 20.

“Saimee did nothing wrong on the horse at all,” said Burridge. “We just need to know Craig’s opinion and whether he will measure up down in Melbourne.

“It’s cheaper to bring someone up like Craig rather than taking the horse down and finding out from there.”

Burridge said Dark Matter had a nice break after the Golden Horseshoe and had performed solidly in two jump-outs in preparation for Sunday’s race, when Mr Big (b g 2008, Elusive Quality (USA)-Basamaat (IRE), by Danehill (USA)), trained by Michael Freedman and ridden by Danny Beasley, will be an opponent again.

Williams’ other rides on the 12-race card are Nefertiti (R1), Yuki’s Esperanza (R2), Mr Fangio (R4) and Teen Angel (R12). All races are on Australian pay TV and the TAB bets into the Singapore pool.

Meanwhile, champion 3YO Frankel’s outstanding win in the Group 1 Sussex Stakes (1600m) at Goodwood this week will see the colt move from sharing the ranking as the world’s best horse on a rating of 130 with Australia’s Black Caviar to sole top spot several points higher.

British Horseracing Authority handicapper Dominic Gardiner-Hill said: “I think he will go up to at least 133 and quite probably 134 or 135.”

Frankel (b c 2008, Galileo (IRE)-Kind (IRE), by Danehill (USA)) has won all eight starts, with four Group 1s included. He is trained by the recently knighted Henry Cecil, ridden by Tom Queally and owned by Khalid Abdullah’s Juddmonte Farms.

Photo: Dark Matter at Kranji (Singapore Turf Club).

The impressive late-season run of Econsul’s first crop continued when Shezapro won at Northam on July 21.

The promising filly missed the start two lengths but covered to won easily for Ascot-based trainer Brendon Fitzgerald and jockey Peter Knuckey.

The Woodside Park Stud-based Econsul, winner of the 2004 G1 Caulfield Guineas, now has four winners from only nine starters. The son of Pins will stand in 2011 for only $4400 (inc. GST).

Importantly for breeders looking for an outcross to the wealth of Danehill-line mares in Australia, three of Econsul’s winners are out of Danehill-line mares.

Shezapro is a daughter of the Danzero mare, Prozero, who retired as a maiden in 2004 after two placings from six starts. It was Shezapro’s first run from a spell but she showed promise at her debut at Ascot in March when a luckless fifth.

Shezapro was offered by Lindsay Park (as agent) and bought for $22,500 (buyer Joe Crupi) at the 2010 Perth Magic Millions Yearling Sale.

Note: The Slattery Media Group consults to Woodside Park Stud.

Usually a mid-winter phone call to Murray Baker in New Zealand is similar to having a mid-season conversation with a Richmond Tigers’ supporter – not much happy news.

While Baker had his usual gripe about the troubled state of racing in New Zealand, the economy and the boggy wet tracks on which horses “struggled to run their last 400m in even time”, the Cambridge trainer was surprisingly buoyant when I spoke to him late last week.

The reason – Lion Tamer.

Baker, who last spring trained (in partnership with his son Bjorn) Lion Tamer to win the Group 1 Victoria Derby (2500m, Flemington), believes the rising 4YO is back and firing after missing the autumn carnivals in New Zealand and Sydney because of injury, a legacy of kicking the wall of his stable early in the year.

“Lion Tamer has come back in great order. He really is pleasing me in his work. I am looking forward to Melbourne with him,” Baker said.

Lion Tamer is somewhat of a forgotten horse. In a recent story in the Sydney Daily Telegraph, chief racing writer Ray Thomas, with the help of others, bemoaned the lack of a genuine middle-distance star with Cox Plate aspirations in Australia’s and New Zealand’s ranks, but strangely he didn’t mention Lion Tamer.

Baker admits that he was concerned that Lion Tamer would be able to return to his best after such a long break from racing. The son of Storming Home is a heady colt, and he proved difficult to get focused when he returned to training at Cambridge in early June.

“He was pretty hard to handle for the first few weeks, but as he got fitter he just switched on. Since then he hasn’t missed a beat.”

Lion Tamer will be entered for the Caulfield and Melbourne Cups as well as the Cox Plate. Baker concedes that Lion Tamer’s best chance of a major win in the spring could be at Moonee Valley in the famous weight-for-age race over 2040m.

“He proved last spring, when he was second behind Rekindled Interest in the (AAMI) Vase (over 2040m) on Cox Plate day, that he handles the Valley surface, which is very important,” he said.

The Vase was the first time the colt was ridden forward – he came from last to win the Listed Ming Dynasty Quality (1400m, Randwick) six weeks earlier – and jockey Hugh Bowman employed similar tactics to dominate the Victoria Derby seven days after the Vase and win by 6.5 lengths on a slow track.

Baker said he is yet to decide on the exact spring program for Lion Tamer, although the horse is likely to start off in New Zealand in the Group 1 Makfi Challenge Stakes (WFA, 1400m, Hastings) – formerly the Mudgway Stakes – on August 27. After that there is the Group 1 Windsor Park Stakes (WFA, 1600m, Hastings) on September 17 and the Group 1 Spring Classic (WFA, 2040m, Hastings) on October 2 – this is a similar program to the one planned for New Zealand’s other classy colt Jimmy Choux.

However, Baker has the option of coming to Melbourne earlier in September, kicking off his Melbourne program in the Group 1 Underwood Stakes (WFA, 1800m, Caulfield) on September 17 – the lure of greater prizemoney in Australia (the AUD$1 is about NZ$1.30) just might outweigh staying at home.

Baker also has his grand stayer Harris Tweed back in work and likely to head to Melbourne in September, as he did last year. The rangy gelding, runner-up, behind Descarado, in last year’s Group 1 Caulfield Cup and fifth, behind Americain, in the Melbourne Cup, has had a throat operation.

“We flew over the same vet that did So You Think (Dr Jonathan Lumsden from Sydney) and he was happy. Harris Tweed made a bit of a noise last spring, and I reckon it was the reason he didn’t quite finish the Caulfield Cup off after looming to win. Hopefully, we get the same result as So You Think,” Baker said.

Baker’s son Bjorn has settled in Sydney, training a small team in his own right out of Warwick Farm.

Photo: Lion Tamer (Hugh Bowman) winning last year’s Victoria Derby at Flemington.