Champion mare Dancer's Daughter has been invited to compete in the Breeders' Cup race meeting in the US in November. And a minor injury has prompted trainer Justin Snaith to withdrawn the popular grey from the 1600m HF Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut Stakes at Turffontein on April 4.

Yesterday evening, Snaith Racing issued a press release stating that the horse had "sustained a minor injury in a workout on Monday morning" at the Vaal training centre where she has been based for her Highveld feature season campaign.

Snaith Racing confirmed that she had been invited to run at the Breeders' Cup meeting, adding that this had not been ruled out and "is a realistic and attainable option".

Dancer's Daughter will still be aimed at South Africa's premier race, the 2200m Vodacom Durban July, and a likely showdown with Pocket Power - with whom she dead-heated in last year's race.

If the invitation to the US is accepted, she is likely to enter the quarantine station at Kenilworth in Cape Town immediately after her July run.

Dancer's Daughter, a British import by Act One, is owned by one of South Africa's leading industrialists, Graham Beck, and his wife Rhona.

Originally it had been planned to run her in three races at Turffontein: the Empress Club Stakes, which she won impressively last month; the Horse Chestnut, and the Champions' Challenge, before tackling the KwaZulu-Natal season.

Earlier, Vaal trainer Geoff Woodruff, in whose care Dancer's Daughter has been while campaigning on the Highveld, said the Breeders' Cup invitation "changes everything" in terms of the mare's agenda.

Woodruff said that while Dancer's Daughter would not run again in Johannesburg this year, she had already proven an important point. "She came up to the Highveld from the Cape and won a Group 1 race - showing that it can be done."

He added that he was in no doubt that Dancer's Daughter deserved to race in America's marquee race meeting. "She is brilliant; at least as good as any filly in her category that I've ever handled."

The Breeders' Cup meeting will be held at Santa Anita racecourse in California on November 6 and 7.

The full Snaith Racing statement:
Dancer's Daughter sustained a minor injury in a workout on Monday morning which has forced her trainer, Justin Snaith, to revise her immediate programme. She wrapped her splint bone in track work on Monday morning and although the veterinary surgeon was not overly concerned; Justin has decided not to take any chances and withdraw his Champion filly from the GR.1 Horse Chestnut Stakes. With the strenuous work needed in order to prepare Dancer's Daughter to peak fitness for this feature event on April 4, Justin was concerned this injury could reappear and hinder the rest of her season.

Justin commented yesterday," I am not prepared to take any chances with a filly of this caliber. Although she is trotting sound and we could persist I feel this will be the wrong option in the bigger scope of things. I will chat to Mr. Beck and Mike Sharkey today to discuss our next step. At this stage I would like to take her directly to Durban from Johannesburg where she will compete in the Durban July".

Against all the critics' skepticism Dancer's Daughter landed GR.1 status in only one attempt in the Highveld and this was a daunting and bold move by her trainer.
She has also been invited to run in the $2 million Breeders Cup Filly and Mares Turf on November 6, 2009 which has not been ruled out by her trainer and is still a realistic and attainable option.