News, tips and updates from the first day’s racing in CaliforniaGreg Wood:
American racing holds its breath for date with destinyEmail Greg here or tweet him @Greg_Wood 7.45pm GMT
And this is Four Wheel Drive in the Futurity at Belmont Park. 7.43pm GMT
The most obvious obstacle to the European contingent, which also include King Neptune (Aidan O’Brien), Band Practice (Archie Watson), Alligator Alley (Joseph O’Brien), Dr Simpson (Tom Dascombe) and Dream Shot (James Tate) is a familiar one.
Wesley Ward has become a familiar figure in the winners’ enclosure at Royal Ascot in recent years, unleashing juveniles in particular which seem capable of remarkable bursts of five-furlong speed. His two runners here, Kimari and Four Wheel Drive, are currently inseparable at the top of the on-track betting at 2-1. Here’s Kimari’s last race, the Indian Summer Stakes at Keeneland.