From Bayakoa to Barathea, foreign horses have provided stiff competition to American horses. These mystery horses have come out of nowhere to claim the top prize in the Classic with the French invader Arcangues in 1993 and British sensation Raven’s Pass in 2008. Make no mistake, foreign horses will do well at the Breeder’s Cup this year, so the key for handicappers is knowing which ones will make a mark and which ones will be busts.

The contenders that I am about to highlight are not a definitive list by any means, rather they are horses that you as a handicapper should get to know a little bit better. It also needs to be said that I am not picking each horse to win, I will be highlighting my picks to win in an upcoming post. These are horses that I think warrant a closer look. These are the foreign horses that you should spend your time researching. I will not make a final assessment on these horses till each one’s TA Indicator has been calculated.

Flintshire: Andre Farber is like a European Todd Pletcher. He brings over the best horses and they sometimes run their B race and sometimes run their A race, but they always have to be respected. This horse lives for a firm turf course so the Santa Anita “putting green” will definitely be to his liking provided that it doesn’t rain-which it shouldn’t. His pure closing style will also set him up well as the pace is likely to be pretty honest. He seems to be the one to catch in the B.C. Turf.

Planteur: What if I told you that there was a horse who finished third in the world’s most prestigious race back to back. There is such a horse and his name is Planteur. The son of Danehill dancer has taken on some of the best horses in the world on synthetic and turf and ran pretty well. Of course, he has yet to run on dirt, but you should still take him seriously because he reminds me a lot of his broodmare sire Giant’s Causway, who was able to transfer most of his turf form to the dirt. I still think that Game on Dude has very little to worry about, but I would be shocked if Planteur didn’t run well and hit the board.

Magician: I’m not completely sure if Aidan O’Brien is going to send out his star miler, but I must say that this horse has moves! The way he accelerated to a commanding victory in the Irish 2000 Guineas was breathtaking. Now, I’m not too sure how good the European milers are this year, but this is definitely a horse to watch. The fact that he seems to be a nine furlong horse also helps as it’s easier to cut back than go up in distance. He also seems to be well rested, so he is probably going to give Wise Dan his best shot. Don’t say that I didn’t warn you.

Ever Rider: It isn’t all about the Europeans. Ever Rider from Argentina stunned the South American racing scene with his gate to wire victory in the Clasico Belgrano. The word out on Ever Rider is that he is a pure frontrunner-so he’s going to the lead which may worry some but not me. Have you ever noticed how passively American jockeys ride Marathon races? My guess is that they’ll let him get three quarters of a mile in 1:22 and 3 then realize that they just brought a bunch of knives to a gunfight. If this horse is anywhere near 8-1 I’m probably going to put some money on him. Speed kills even in the B.C. Marathon.