American Aviator to go all the way on Sunday

JASON DaCosta retaining Tevin Foster to partner AMERICAN AVIATOR, despite going three pounds over the allotted 114lb, indicates the champion trainer is supremely confident that the foreigner can go gate-to-wire in Sunday’s King’s Plate at seven and a half furlongs.

Given AMERICAN AVIATOR’s tendency to quit if eyeballed, DaCosta could have called on any of the claiming riders in abundance but chose to stick with Foster, who has twice won aboard the four-year-old at seven furlongs, including a March 1 humbling of WE JAMMIN, last year’s champion two-year-old.

Scanning the 16-horse line-up, DaCosta choosing not to reinvent the wheel appears to be the right call, considering there is no matching speed to bother AMERICAN AVIATOR down the backstretch.

Coasting off the turn in a five-furlong split of 59.3 with WE JAMMIN ridden to keep pace, AMERICAN AVIATOR quickened into 1:12.4, crippling the favourite to sweep this season’s three-year-old classics.

Though a half of the King’s Plate is dominated by foreigners, majority are off-colour, including UNBELIEVABLE FORCE, who returned off a six-month break last Saturday with a third-place finish behind GOODBYE FIREFLY at five furlongs straight.

Slipping back among overnight-allowance company after being mauled in three open-allowance events, UNBELIEVABLE FORCE lost in a three-way photo clocked in 57.0 with a following wind out the straight, franked by the following race won in 57.1 by TEFLON DON.

Local-bred ANOTHER ONE, running from behind the early speed, got her head in front UNBELIEVABLE FORCE at the wire whereas GOODBYE FIREFLY prevailed because he was always on the faster stands’ side.

SIR DON, who lost the following race in a driving finish to TEFLON DON off a three-month break, has had his Achilles heel exposed since facing tougher rivals. Slowly into stride last

Saturday, SIR DON closed fast but was held by TEFLON DON after switching from the stands’ side to mid-track.

Both UNBELIEVABLE FORCE and SIR DON could try pressing AMERICAN AVIATOR early but at the risk of flattening when DaCosta’s runner kicks, similar to his dismissal of WE JAMMIN in decent splits of 34.4, 47.0 and 59.3 off the turn.

AMERICAN AVIATOR has more races under his girth than this season, as opposed to

UNBELIEVABLE FORCE and SIR DON, both of whom made their 2026 debut out the

straight course a week ago, now stretched out two furlongs longer against a galloper with a pair

of wins at seven furlongs.