by Mike Curry

English and Irish classic-placed Eagle Mountain returned from a layoff of more than 11 months to win the one-mile Nayef Joel Stakes (Eng-G3) on October 3 at Newmarket, and the bay colt is set to become trainer Mike de Kock's first Breeders' Cup World Championships starter.

Eagle Mountain won the 2007 United Arab Emirates Royal Whip Stakes (Eng-G2) during his three-year-old season. He finished second last year in the Vodafone Epsom Derby (Eng-G1), Emirates Airline Champion Stakes (Eng-G1), and Sky Bet York Stakes (Eng-G2) and third in the Budweiser Irish Derby (Ire-G1).

De Kock said the four-year-old Rock of Gibraltar (Ire) colt will be pointed to the Emirates Airline Breeders’ Cup Turf (G1) on October 25 at the Oak Tree meeting at Santa Anita Park.

"It looks like we will send him to the Breeders' Cup," De Kock told Racing Post. "He showed his fitness the other day when I was worried he might have been a bit short for it. He is extremely likely to run in the Turf.

"The other day was a mile and the Turf is a mile and a half, but I think from what I have seen of Breeders' Cups you need a fair amount of pace for the race so that should suit him."

Mike Curry is editor of Thoroughbred Times TODAY