John Gosden's in the mood to cause another Stateside stir

Europe, buoyant following a record five wins at last year's Breeders' Cup in California, cross the Atlantic full of hope this week for the 26th running of racing's equivalent of the World Series at Santa Anita this weekend.

The bookmakers think that Godolphin, Coolmore and Sir Michael Stoute are the three superpowers who will rattle American cages again.

But Newmarket trainer John Gosden was the toast of Rodeo Drive 12 months ago having triumphed with Raven's Pass in the Classic and Donativum in the Juvenile Turf at Santa Anita, and before leaving for Los Angeles this week said he was "hopeful we might get lucky somewhere along the line".

Gosden, who runs Rainbow View (Filly & Mare Turf) and Pounced (Juvenile Turf) on Friday and Dar Re Mi (Turf) on Saturday, knows the track better than most, having trained in California for 10 years before returning to Britain in 1989, and he is relishing going back to his favourite stomping ground Stateside. He said: "The pro-ride synthetic surface, which replaced the dirt, has made all the difference to the Europeans and puts us on a level playing field with the Americans.

"But we are back to Churchill Downs next year, where they are great traditionalists and won't budge from the old-fashioned dirt, so we need to make the most here."

Gosden, 58, who still has a house in the Hollywood Hills, added: "Rainbow View travelled on from the EP Taylor in Toronto, where she ran so well a fortnight ago. She worked on the surface at Santa Anita on Monday and enjoyed it, and she is a genuine Group 1 filly, so we have to be optimistic about her chances.