 Following negotiations with leading American horsemen August Belmont, Jr., James Shevlin, and Matt Winn, Wertheimer agreed to send Épinard to compete in a series of three American races billed as the International Special.Épinard arrived at the port of New York on the Cunard Line's luxury liner, the RMS "Berengaria".The races were to be held at Belmont Park and Aqueduct Racetrack in New York and at Latonia Race Track in Kentucky; it was the first time Épinard raced on a dirt track.