It has been a year of discovery for Adam West, who has his sights set on more international assignments in 2024 after a phenomenal season that culminated in a fairytale trip to the Breeders’ Cup with star speedster Live In The Dream.

The four-year-old more than lived up to his name when providing his trainer, regular pilot Sean Kirrane and owners Steve and Jolene De’Lemos with a first Group One success in the Nunthorpe, but their ambitious quest to conquer America ultimately ended in gallant defeat at Santa Anita.

With the dust now well and truly settled on a magical journey from Lingfield handicaps in the spring to California in November, West is keen to ensure his Breeders’ Cup adventure is not the end of an underdog story that has captured the hearts and minds of the racing public.

“I would love to tick off a few more worldwide options,” said West.

“I would be really excited to go to Hong Kong, I would love to tick that one off, and everything from the Pardubice all the way round, there are so many races across the world and I would love to spread the wings, as it were.”

Although Live In The Dream failed to deliver a Hollywood ending to his box office campaign in the shadows of the picturesque San Gabriel Mountains, his handler is confident he will have thrived for the cross-Atlantic experience when he returns to the track in 2024.

“He came out of the Breeders’ Cup really well and we’re just looking forward to next year and seeing what we can do,” said West.

“With sprinters, you hope they can improve strength on strength – and with that little bit of maturity after his eventful year, you would hope he is more amenable to different things.

“I definitely think it will make him mature a hell of a lot. He has a great head on him anyway and he has probably learnt more than I have this year!”

It is, of course, not just Live In The Dream who will have learnt from his forays Stateside, with his handler wide-eyed after experiencing the draining nature of long-haul travel for the very first time.

“I realised that both times I flew, that I don’t take the travel as well as the horse and that took it out of me,” explained West.

“I was quite sick both times towards the end of it and that’s me coming from a bit of a humble background and never having been on a flight longer than an hour and a bit, so it was a bit of a shock to the system.

“It’s all things that I can learn from for next time to make sure I’ve got the best of me out there, rather than a sick version of me.

“They are absolutely incredible people and the Americans couldn’t do enough for us and have a real passion for their racing. The individuals you meet were really enthusiastic and it makes you look forward to getting out there again, when I can.”

Live In The Dream’s Breeders’ Cup challenge only became a possibility after his devastating Nunthorpe success during the height of summer, when the four-year-old bounced out and made every yard of the running in breath-taking fashion.

Although sent off a somewhat unfancied 28-1 shot, there was no fluke about the result, with top-class speedsters Highfield Princess and Bradsell unable to deal with the blistering early pace shown from West’s stable star.

“We went there with no pressure and just happy to be there,” continued West.

“We always thought York would suit him but when he ran over the five and half before, he didn’t quite perform as we thought, so you kind of don’t expect too much.

“Everything was right that day, it’s sprinting isn’t it, you could run it 10 times and it might be different – if something had broken a little better, or there had been a headwind or something, then it wouldn’t have been our day, but luckily it was and we really enjoyed it.

“It is something that will be etched into everyone’s heads for the rest of time.”

West’s meteoric rise in the second half of 2023 serves as a reminder of the fickle nature of training racehorses, and although enjoying some of the biggest days of his career, there is also relief that it has allowed him to continue operating in a sport where the price of triumph often comes at a premium.

He said: “In one term, it (this year) has meant survival. It has secured enough support and momentum to carry on and there were questions with the way racing is going whether it is a viable thing.

“When you have success like that, you are able to stick your head above water for a little bit and take a breath, ready to go in and do it all over again. If you can do that once in 10 years, I suppose it is enough to keep you going.

“I don’t think it has changed anything initially and we haven’t had a huge influx of owners or anything like that. But it is on the CV now and it has proven that given the ammunition, we have shown we can do it.”

However, the past six months have also brought the best of racing’s fabled camaraderie to West’s door, as he went from quietly plying his trade on the daily racing treadmill to hot property due to his rags to riches tale.

It was something the handler admits caught him by surprise, as he reflects on his spell in the spotlight and also the wealth of good wishes that came his way.

“I would never have expected the amount of support from the UK and when you are at an international event like that, it was not something I had ever encountered before,” said West.

“I enjoyed all of that and I got to meet so many people who were going through all of the same things – and it was great and really warming.

“You can become quite isolated as a trainer, as you are competing against each other all the time, but when things like that happen, you do realise the industry does support each other in its own unique way.”

The generosity of the tight-knit racing community saw West grow close to fellow Breeders’ Cup rookie Mick Appleby, as they both prepared for the trip of a lifetime.

It was a friendship formed over a makeshift starting bell prior to the journey to California and the Epsom handler hopes their bond stands the test of time once Live In The Dream and Big Evs start locking horns on the sprinting scene next season.

“It brought me and Mick Appleby closer together and getting Live In The Dream and Big Evs up against each other is surely going to happen,” said West.

“I think that will be a great rivalry, as long as I can swallow the odd defeat!

“I would look forward to that, as they both race in such a tenacious way and have similar styles, I will really look forward to that.

“We might have the edge on him next year, being a five-year-old against a three-year-old, but if he stays in training the following year, it could be some battle.”

He went on: “I know you get the jumpers and how the support for them builds each year as they come back, well there is a chance that this horse could be coming back three years in a row and he could be a bit of a star name – and if the rivalry is there too, then so be it.”

If winning that scintillating sprint showdown is high up on West’s 2024 wish list, then so is making his mark in the National Hunt sphere, with the Epsom handler daring to dream of smashing another glass ceiling in the near future.

He said: “The next ambition is a Grade One and I really want to push the jumping – I’ve actually got some great jumps stats!

“We’ve done the Group One, so now I want to win a Grade One as well, so watch this space.”

Adam West is already looking forward to a trip to next year’s Breeders’ Cup with Live In The Dream after his stable star rounded off a memorable campaign at Santa Anita on Saturday.

Following a narrow victory on the all-weather at Lingfield on his first start of 2023, few could have envisaged the meteoric rise the rapid chestnut would enjoy through the remainder of the year.

A shock Group One victory in the Nunthorpe at York left West and owners Steve and Jolene De’Lemos eyeing an American adventure – and having shaped well on his first start Stateside at Keeneland last month, he headed to the west coast as a major contender for the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint.

It is testament to Live In The Dream’s eyewatering pace that even the American speedballs were unable to land a glove on him during the early stages of the five-furlong contest, but he paid for his early exertions late on and in the end was beaten just over a length into fourth place.

Both West and his pride and joy landed back on home soil on Monday evening – and while the trainer admitted to feeling the effects of the long journey home, he reports Live In The Dream to be none the worse for his experience.

“I got home late last night and so did the horse,” said the Epsom-based trainer. “He almost ran away with me this morning, so he’s obviously feeling good.

West feels the magnitude of the occasion in California may have contributed to Live In The Dream’s defeat, adding: “We put our best plan forward to give him every chance and I think we had him spot-on, but he just got a bit buzzy and ran a tiny bit free and that’s ultimately cost him.

“The day he won the Nunthorpe, there was a huge atmosphere, but Keeneland and the Breeders’ Cup are even bigger. It’s a lot more intense at Santa Anita and I think that just saw him go a stride too quick into the bend and that was it really.

“As he matures next year, I think he’ll settle into those big events a bit better. He was taking on the best of the best and we look forward to working back from the Breeders’ Cup at Del Mar next year.”

With a winter trip to Dubai ruled out, West will give his charge a well-earned break prior to preparing for major prizes in Europe in 2024, before ultimately heading back across the Atlantic in the autumn.

He said: “I’ve spoken to Steve about ambitions and he’ll get a nice, long holiday now and we’ll probably start off a bit later next year.

“Ultimately, the main aim will be to defend the Nunthorpe title, but we might take in some other options internationally as well.

“We’ve got this lovely horse and we want to take in as much as we can and get those experiences – and that he can provide us.”

Adam West has left no stone unturned in his quest to ensure Live In The Dream plays a starring role in their once-in-a-lifetime shot at Breeders’ Cup glory.

The Epsom-based trainer of course shares his name with the actor most famous for portraying Batman and it is perhaps fitting that Live In The Dream’s blockbuster rise to the top of the sprinting tree reaches its climax a stones throw away from Hollywood in Santa Anita.

Owned by the charismatic Steve and Jolene de’Lemos, the four-year-old started the season with a pair of victories in the handicap ranks before his stock slowly rose throughout the season.

Placed efforts in both the Palace House Stakes and Temple Stakes served notice of Live In The Dream’s potential, but he announced himself as a star of the sprinting ranks with a thrilling all-the-way victory in the Nunthorpe at York – incredibly the first time his handler had saddled a runner in Group One company.

That Knavesmire rout secured Live In The Dream’s ticket to the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint and having shown all the right signs during an exploratory visit to Keeneland, the thriving gelding now has the burden of being the big-race favourite for a contest won just the once by a British raider.

“We’re very happy and we’ve come here at the perfect time to get the best of the atmosphere,” said West.

“I think the ground and the track are so important to our horse. In the Palace House it was too stiff and five and a half furlongs at Keeneland didn’t suit him either, but this is ideal. He is all five – one yard further and that’s it! York was always going to be his best chance at home.

“The pressure is on now, I’d rather we were 28-1, but it’s justified given his form. If we were to have any chance it is here.”

Live In The Draw will break from stall five, with defending champion and one of the big dangers Caravel not far away in three.

It is a spot West is delighted to be in as he attempts to put the historic training centre of Epsom back on the world map.

He added: “They have done so well with the track and we were blessed with a cracking draw, with Caravel two down from us who can give us a lead. I didn’t want to be out wide or stuck on the rail.

“Caravel is so tenacious; she’s been brought into this race well. Credit is due, she’s looking like she’s about to hit her best form, so she’s respected with her speed and the way she runs. If we end up going head-to-head with her it could be a real ding-dong battle.

“Epsom has done its time and hopefully we can now focus on getting good horses back there. I hope he can show on Saturday that the job can be done.”

Also happy with Live In The Dream’s position in stall five is his big-race jockey Sean Kirrane who has become an integral part of the story.

Having also tasted Group One glory for the first time at York in the summer he has played a key role in preparing the son of Prince Of Lir for his moment in the Californian sun and is backing his charge to hit the right note when the bell sounds and the gates ping open.

Kirrane said: “I suppose you are in a position where if you do miss half a beat you are able to recover and not get swamped early on booting in from a wide draw. That is one of the positives about being drawn a bit further off the fence.

“The horse shouldn’t miss the kick, he was electric out of the stalls at Keeneland. It was something I didn’t expect, I thought he might be half a step slower away than the American horses but he was right on terms with them and then ultimately a lot quicker than them in the early part of the race.

“We expect him to do the same again and we’re very happy with the draw. There are some useful horses drawn inside him, the likes of Caravel, and he has to get away on terms with them and the Japanese horse outside looks very fast. But we’re happy and the horse goes there in great form.”

The European challenge was dented when Royal Ascot hero Bradsell was scratched from the contest on Wednesday evening, but joining Live In The Dream in the line-up is Aidan O’Brien’s Aesop’s Fables fresh from a welcome return to form in the Prix de l’Abbaye.

The Ballydoyle hopeful was beaten a length in third behind Highfield Princess at ParisLongchamp and the mount of Ryan Moore will once again be wearing the blinkers which sparked him into life in the French capital.

“The time Ryan rode him before the Abbaye he said this guy is stuck in second gear and not doing a stroke, he’s just cruising along,” said O’Brien.

“We put the blinkers on him at home and Seamus (Heffernan) jumped him out of the stalls in blinkers and said he felt a totally different horse. That’s why the blinkers are on him.

“Ryan felt in France that if he had challenged the winner earlier he might have finished even closer and it was a huge run out of him and probably back to the best of his two-year-old form or even above it.

“We’re looking forward to it, he’s drawn out a little bit, but there’s speed on his inside so he will slot in and see what will happen.”

Joining the defending champion Caravel at the heart of the American challenge is Live In The Dream’s Woodford Stakes conqueror Arzak who represents Michael Trombetta, while Philip D’Amato’s Motorious is interesting having improved significantly on what he achieved in Britain when trained by Stuart Williams.

Christophe Clement is double-handed with Roses For Debra and Royal Ascot also ran Big Invasion, with Hideyuki Mori’s Jasper Krone adding a further international flavour to the contest having made the trip over from Japan.