“Sir Mark has told me that if she wins, he’ll take all the credit and if she loses, I’ll take all the blame,” laughs William Butler, as he watches Tiffany stride back to the stables after another successful foray round the training track.

It’s a carnival atmosphere down at the European quarantine barn. There’s been an overnight effort to put out safety cones to separate the horses from the people and they’re being politely ignored as media, connections and ponies congregate happily with coffee and gossip.

We’ve successfully interviewed every British, Irish and French trainer present in Lexington over the last two mornings and the newly-arrived George Scott represents fresh meat, to be consumed immediately.

Thankfully, George understands the assignment.

“It’s lovely to be here on a crisp Kentucky morning with Bay City Roller,” he opens, conjuring images of the pair kicking their way through autumn leaves en-route to the training track.

“It was always the plan to come here,” he adds. “He’s a unique horse with an amazing mind and constitution. He doesn’t bat an eyelid and he’s showing us that he’s well in himself.

“After the Champion Stakes, we didn’t get much of a feel to see how he came out of it but he’s since given me all the right signs and after seeing him this morning, I couldn’t be more confident that we’ve made the right decision."

Notable Speech is favourite for a repeat in the Breeders' Cup Mile

Charlie Appleby is an American veteran with ten Breeders’ Cup titles to his name, and he surveys Notable Speech and El Cordobes’ work on the main track with a quiet assurance, videoing the pair as they pass.

“It’s for my son,” Charlie smiles.

“Notable Speech and El Cordobes have shipped well and they’re two experienced horses on this side of the water. The fanfare down there,” he gestures down the hill at the bustling village of stables, with people moving around like ants. “It can affect some horses, but these two take it so well.

“Notable Speech has got his own little fanbase behind him and it’s well deserved. He comes here in great order and it would be great to end on a high. Whatever he achieves on Saturday, we couldn’t be more proud."

I ask if anyone has been catching Charlie’s eye on these busy work mornings.

“I only have eyes for mine,” he grins, then receives a playful shove from a fellow Godolphin staff member and laughs.

“But Sovereignty, of course!”

Andrew Balding's string make their way to the track

I’ve organised to meet up with Pete Fahey, co-trainer of Mussab alongside father Richard, and I’ve saved up all my inane questions just for him – lucky man. After three days of trackwork, the enormity of effort required to bring a horse to the Breeders’ Cup is becoming increasingly clear and I can’t quite pin down the logistics.

“Mussab left the stables last Thursday, stayed overnight in Newmarket and flew to Shannon, in Ireland,” explains Pete. “All the Irish and English runners go on a chartered plane to Cincinnati, and they were trailered down to Keeneland on Saturday.

“They stay in quarantine for a few days and the lads have to wear white suits until the bloods come back clean. Then we’re out on the training tracks."

Mussab is not the first juvenile to visit Keeneland for the Fahey team, having brought The Platinum Queen over to America for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf in 2022.

“Mussab is a completely different character to The Platinum Queen, life has been much easier this time.

“He’s very relaxed. When he got into the trailer from Cincinnati, he laid down and fell asleep. He was the only horse to sleep all the way from the airport to Keeneland.”

Mussab was purchased for 52,000 guineas at the Tattersalls Guineas Breeze Up Sale with owner Sheikh Abdullah Almalek Alsabah and has earned his price tag back with interest, winning the Listed Harry Rosebery Stakes at Ayr and the Group 3 Cornwallis Stakes at Newmarket.

“The Sheikh bought about 12 horses and a lot of them were going to Saudi Arabia. We got to the end of the day and I said ‘I want this one, please’. He came well-recommended: Ellie Whitaker breezed him and she’s only asked me to buy three horses in the time I’ve known her. One of them was Karl Burke’s Miss Yechance.”

“Missed your chance there?” I say and instantly regret the dad joke that came out of my mouth.

“I did miss my chance with that one,” replies Pete, hiding his amusement with a straight face. “Mussab was a horse that wasn’t the finished article. He went quicker after the actual breeze, like the penny was starting to drop and he was still very green when he arrived. It’s why it’s taken so long to get him to where he is.”

Mussab exercises during his morning workout

It’s only 24 hours until the Europeans will be forced to defend their honour on the Keeneland turf and Mussab is first up in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint.

“It’s a competitive contest,” shrugs Pete. “The positives for us is that we have five-furlong form; a lot of the horses in the race are six-furlong horses. Libertango is a very good filly, Moonrise provides a good level of form, but you’d like to think we’ll be in the mix.

“It’s just horses running around a field at the end of the day, isn’t it?” smiles Pete. “You just pray that yours finishes in front."

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