by Steve Myrick

John Gosden may be the only European-based trainer who is enjoying homecoming at Santa Anita Park.

The personable Englishman began his training career in 1979 at Santa Anita and fondly remembers his 11 years at the Arcadia, California, track. Standing by the European barn, he gestured across the path to the stable where it all began.

“It started with three stalls over there with [trainer] Willard Proctor, who was a little annoyed to have some limey turn up,” Gosden said.

“It's a great place to start, because you come here you're level handicap, you're all on the same track, same facilities, no one's got an advantage. I really loved my time here.”

It took a bit of perseverance, but Gosden's talent at training Thoroughbreds eventually became evident, launching him to the highest levels of the racing.

When opportunity came knocking, he was ready.

“It took me about two years to go from three horses to 12 horses,” Gosden said.  “Then I got a horse named Bates Motel. If you're lucky enough to get a good horse, it can kick you're career up, and it certainly did mine.”

Bates Motel was voted the Eclipse Award as champion older male of 1983. Gosden followed with Royal Heroine (Ire), who captured the inaugural Breeders’ Cup Mile (G1) in 1984 and was the season’s champion turf female.

Last year at the Oak Tree meeting at Santa Anita, Gosden took the biggest prize back to Europe, when Raven's Pass was the impressive winner of the Breeders' Cup Classic (G1). He also trained Donativum (GB), winner of Grey Goose Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf.

This year, Gosden has three Breeders’ Cup runners, each with a solid chance. George Strawbridge Jr.'s multiple Group 1 winner Rainbow View is set for the Breeders' Cup Ladies' Classic (G1). Andrew and Madeleine Lloyd-Webber’s Dar Re Mi (GB) will go in the Emirates Airline Breeders' Cup Turf (G1). Serena Rothschild's Pounced is scheduled to start in the Juvenile Turf.

Gosden does not treat the Breeders' Cup as an afterthought. He aims for those races, and the synthetic surface at Santa Anita is a big factor in his decision to bring his stable stars across the Atlantic.

“Those horses that tend to like to just grind it out and gallop it strong all the way, they're going to get caught by a horse that has cruising speed and acceleration, therefore it's a different style of training,” Gosden said. “We always like to see a horse like See The Stars show tremendous cruising speed and then bang, that last quarter just explode. To me that's what's exhilarating about the ultimate equine athlete. These surfaces can bring that out. Zenyatta is living proof of that.”

Gosden did mention one factor he sees as a disadvantage, though it did not prevent him from coming to Santa Anita.

“The Breeders' Cup this year is two weeks later,” Gosden said. “To European trainers that's a big factor. For these fillies, they're growing in their coat, the light's going, it's getting cold. Two weeks later is maybe a little bit tougher for us. Nevertheless, we're here. Like bad pennies, we've turned up.”

And if history is any indication, Gosden is likely to be hauling a lot of pennies back home.

Steve Myrick is a Massachusetts-based Thoroughbred Times correspondent