Europe, buoyant following a record five wins at last year's Breeders' Cup in California, cross the Atlantic full of hope this week for the 26th running of racing's equivalent of the World Series at Santa Anita this weekend.

The bookmakers think that Godolphin, Coolmore and Sir Michael Stoute are the three superpowers who will rattle American cages again.

But Newmarket trainer John Gosden was the toast of Rodeo Drive 12 months ago having triumphed with Raven's Pass in the Classic and Donativum in the Juvenile Turf at Santa Anita, and before leaving for Los Angeles this week said he was "hopeful we might get lucky somewhere along the line".

Gosden, who runs Rainbow View (Filly & Mare Turf) and Pounced (Juvenile Turf) on Friday and Dar Re Mi (Turf) on Saturday, knows the track better than most, having trained in California for 10 years before returning to Britain in 1989, and he is relishing going back to his favourite stomping ground Stateside. He said: "The pro-ride synthetic surface, which replaced the dirt, has made all the difference to the Europeans and puts us on a level playing field with the Americans.

"But we are back to Churchill Downs next year, where they are great traditionalists and won't budge from the old-fashioned dirt, so we need to make the most here."

Gosden, 58, who still has a house in the Hollywood Hills, added: "Rainbow View travelled on from the EP Taylor in Toronto, where she ran so well a fortnight ago. She worked on the surface at Santa Anita on Monday and enjoyed it, and she is a genuine Group 1 filly, so we have to be optimistic about her chances.

"We also had Dar Re Mi in that race but 10 furlongs at Santa Anita is like nine furlongs anywhere else so it makes sense to aim for the mile-and-a-half race. Dar Re Mi held her own against the colts in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe and seems to have kept her form.

"It has been well documented how unlucky she was to lose the Prix Vermeille in France and Lady Lloyd Webber, the filly's owner, indicated at the start of the season that this was the race she wanted more than anything, so we will give it our best shot.

"Pounced would compare well with Donativum, who won the race last year, and he ran really well in the Group 1 at Longchamp on Arc day, so you would have to give him a chance, too." Frankie Dettori booted home Gosden's winners last year after replacing stable jockey Jimmy Fortune and the Italian will do the same, taking the mounts on Dar Re Mi and Pounced.

Rainbow View will be partnered by US-based rider Julien Leparoux.

Gosden was training around the barns at nearby Hollywood Park when he won the Mile with Royal Heroine there at the very first Breeders' Cup in 1984 and he confessed that "California is my second home".

He added: "The Breeders' Cup is what international racing is all about, but, while we were top dogs last year, we rattled up 17 losers between Royal Heroine and Donativum, so it has not all been champagne and roses."

The bubbly is on ice, John.

* 2009 Breeders' Cup live on At The Races and Racing UK (Friday-Saturday)