Jockey John Murtagh was in the hotbox as I waited to have a word with him at Arlington Park on Saturday. Murtagh had three rides at Arlington Park on Million day. Jockeys use the hot box to generate sweat and, in the process, shed just enough weight to be able to ride at the assigned weight. Races are won by margins that are often measured in inches and a difference of a fraction of a pound may prove critical.

Murtagh was in front of a camera for a show done by a Racing Channel. As the show ended, he stopped to chat with me.

"How do you do this? Riding in three countries in thee days and are you riding US Ranger at Deauville (outside Paris) on Sunday?"

"For the most part, my rides are good. When you ride live horses, your expectations are high. The adrenaline keeps me going. Yes, I will be at Deauville. I will be trying to beat Marchand D'Or who beat US Ranger last time."

I asked how this year (2008) has been exceptional for Murtagh.

"Aidan O'Brien's horses are running true to form. It is a great operation. I have an easy job and the tough part is done at Ballydoyle. This has been a very good year."

Recently, close finishes have gone your way. In three Group I races, you had to dig deep and every time, you won. How do you find that extra?"

O’Brien's horses hate to lose. They are all absolutely ready. The more I ask the more they give. The confidence level is high."

I asked about future plans for Henrythenavigator.

"He's exceptional. We have beaten Raven's Pass the last three races. When Raven's Pass comes along, we find a way to win. Henry can go longer. At a mile, he is hard to beat. The plan is to let Henry go in the BC Classic. The polytrack at Santa Anita should pose no problems. Grass to polytrack is an adjustment that is not hard to make. Henry deserves to take a shot in Santa Anita."

As it turned out, John Murtagh was in the money with all three rides. At Deauville in France on Sunday, US Ranger was unplaced.

Let us switch our focus to other news. Seb Sanders, joint champion jockey in England in 2007, went to Malmo, Sweden for two rides last Sunday. Sanders failed a 'breath' test and was stopped from riding. One of his mounts won with a Swedish jockey.

Sanders received a two-week ban. Sanders will appeal. The threshold in Sweden is lower than in England. It was revealed on Monday that Sanders would have been barred even in Britain.

A distraught Sanders made a statement. "I have taken loads of breath tests and never registered anything other than zero. This is a disappointment."

On Sunday at Deauville, Marchand D'Or, Davy Bonilla up, won the Group I Prix Maurice de Gheest. Marchand D'Or covered 1300 metres in 1 18.4 seconds. The race was run on soft grass. The Freddie Head trainee was held up and moved in the last 400 metres to strike the front. Marchand D'Or, the 16-10 favourite, won by a length over African Rose.

Trainer Freddie Head has won Group I races this year with Tamayuz and Goldikova and is having a very productive campaign. He said, "it's great he is now in the record books for winning the Maurice de Gheest three years in a row. Marchand D'Or is a real champion. We will go to Haydock for the Betfred Sprint Cup and then to the Prix de l'Abbaye at Longchamp on Arc day."

Davy Bonilla and Freddie Head combined to win another race, the Prix de Pomone Haras d'Etreham, a Group II race for distaffers over the weekend. Aranti Polonia, at 12-1 and the longest-priced of six runners, got the job done in the 2500-metre race.

The Ebor meeting begins at York in England next Tuesday. Duke of Marmalade heads the field in the Group I Juddmonte International. The Duke is seeking his fifth consecutive Group I win.

Now news from America. Trainer Mike de Kock's anger was gone and he adopted a conciliatory tone when talking in the aftermath of the Arlington Million. "In the heat of the moment, I said things I should not have said. I looked at the tape. Kevin (Shea, Archipenko's rider) and I saw the tape and it is wrong for me to blame Johnny. He is a world-class rider. I am going to rely on John in the future."

America's Russell Baze incurred the wrath of the judges at Ascot when riding in the Shergar Cup competition. Baze was cited for improper and excessive use of the whip. On appeal, Baze got a favourable revision of banned days. He will be able to ride in Saratoga's Graded races on Aug 23 and 24. The suspension, to be honoured in America, will run from Aug 25 thru Aug 28.

Red Rocks will go in the Sword Dancer, a grass race, at Saratoga this Saturday. Now in the care of Mark Hennig, Red Rocks is being pointed to the BC Turf in October. On July 12, Red Rocks ended Curlin's Arc ambitions by beating the 2007 Horse of the Year in the Man O'War at Belmont Park. Red Rocks, a son of Galileo, won the 2006 BC Turf at Churchill Downs.

There will be a 'Living Legends Race' at Santa Anita on Oct 18. Eight Hall of Fame jockeys will compete in an allowance sprint race. They will ride California breds and commitments will be drawn by lots. The eight riders have earnings of 1.5 billion dollars and have 49,163 wins.

Here is the list of jockeys and their ages:

Angel Cordero, Jr, 65
Jacinto Vasquez, 64
Sandy Hawley, 59
Pat Day, 55
Chris McCarron, 53
Jerry Bailey, 51
Gary Stevens, 45 and
Julie Krone, 45.

The average age is 55.

The Melbourne Carnival will begin Nov 1 and end on Nov 8 this year. The Melbourne Cup at Flemington is the piece de resistance. I have begun making travel plans.