Newmarket trainer Alice Haynes is eyeing a pair of lucrative American targets this summer with stable star Cairo, last seen finishing third in the Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot.
The former Ballydoyle-trained five-year-old is set to run in the G1 Arlington Million (now run at Colonial Downs) on August 9 before contesting the G3 Mint Millions – a $2m contest at Kentucky Downs on September 6.
Haynes, who started training in 2021, has rapidly become a regular on the European stage, having won Group or Listed races in Britain, France, Ireland and Italy. She has also hit the crossbar in the UAE, with Cairo and Mr Professor both finishing second at the Dubai Carnival.
Cairo will be the second runner in the States for the young trainer, who saddled the filly Lady Hollywood to finish fifth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint at Keeneland in 2022.
Cairo was purchased privately from the Coolmore partners Kuwaiti owner Refai Alghraiban and joined Haynes’s Newmarket yard in April 2024. “I feel the horse has taken a massive step forward this year,” said Haynes. speaking to Great British Racing International (GBRI).
“He spent some time in quarantine in Dubai last year before joining us and that probably shook him a bit. His confidence seems up and he is versatile in the way he is ridden. He can sit prominently and can come from behind like he did at Ascot.
“His race at Royal Ascot was massive,” she went on. “It was a thrill for the team at home and the owner, who took a punt in buying the horse and is now getting the reward from it. He has been placed at Royal Ascot, the Qatar Goodwood Festival, the Dubai Carnival and now we go to the States.”
On the decision to target the Arlington Million, the trainer said: “The trip was first discussed before Royal Ascot and then the team from Colonial Downs came to meet the owner in the paddock at Ascot and the deal was sealed. Obviously, he needed to run well and he did. America should suit him as a fast track and a turn is what he likes.
“He flies midweek and seems in really good order. I am very pleased with his form. He is a bit of a globetrotter and travels well so that’s good. I think he will run a great race.”
Cairo’s regular work rider Abel O’Gorman added: “He’s a gentleman and at the same time he likes to play around, but he never means any harm. He always does what you ask him at home but would never do more than that until he gets to the track.
“He has been working well since Royal Ascot and seems happy. He loves a bit of sun on his back so he has been well in himself lately and this should also be the case in America.”
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