WANTAGE trainer Henry Candy is relishing the prospect of stable star Limato tackling wonder mare Tepin in the Breeders’ Cup Mile at Santa Anita on Saturday night.

Limato was in imperious form when winning the Qatar Prix de la Foret by three lengths at Chantilly last month.

Royal Ascot heroine Tepin, on the other hand, suffered her first reverse of the season three and a half weeks ago, going down to Photo Call in the Grade 1 First Lady Stakes at Keeneland.

The pair are vying for favouritism as they chase a bumper first prize of £748,299 in California, with the race going off at 11.40pm (GMT).

Candy said: “I would have been perfectly happy if she’d won last time. I’ve just been looking forward to taking her on.

“I know it sounds a bit daft – because she’s absolutely brilliant – but I think our horse is out of the ordinary. I’m all for the big match.”

Candy has trained at Kingston Warren since 1973, but this will be the first time he has saddled a runner in America.

“I’ve never been before, other than holidays,” he said. “It will be a very good, exciting outing.

“The ground has got to be rattling fast. We’ve been looking for it all year – no excuses on that front.”

Nor will Candy be offering any in connection with his jockey Harry Bentley’s relative inexperience of riding in America.

The trainer added: “He’s got a great brain, is going out there in plenty of time and will have a ride round there – get to know the whole scene. I have absolutely no qualms about him at all.”

Meanwhile, Limato’s dual Group 1-winning stablemate, Twilight Son has been retired to stand at Cheveley Park Stud, Newmarket.

A winner of six of his ten starts and prize-money totalling £725,150, the four-year-old struck at the highest level in the Betfred Sprint Cup at Haydock last season and the Diamond Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot this June.

“He was a very good horse on his day,” said Candy. “He was by Kyllachy, who I trained, and I would very much love to train some of his offspring.”