Speech set for Notable Breeders’ Cup double

WITH the domestic jumps action difficult to weigh up this weekend, I’m looking across the pond to hunt out a few ante-post picks from the Breeders’ Cup. The two-day extravaganza from Keeneland in Lexington, Kentucky kicks off on Friday evening with a card for the juveniles before Saturday night’s action sees the older champions crowned. Charlie Appleby will be hoping that he can pull off a famous double with NOTABLE SPEECH in the Grade One Breeders’ Cup Mile (8.20pm). His globe-trotting son of Dubawi was a brilliant winner of this race 12 months ago, when Del Mar played host to the Breeders’ Cup. On that occasion he showed his electric turn of foot around the tight turns of the Californian circuit, and the quick ground expected at Keeneland should be right up his alley again. Notable Speech has an excellent record when sent over to North America, winning three times and placing one from five trips, including last time when landing the Grade One Woodbine Mile in Canada.