The season-ending Breeders' Cup World Championship meeting in North America came about as a result of the vision of that noted horseman, John Gaines. As many as 33 years have passed since the championship races were first run and the meeting has become an integral part of the annual calendar. Many readers would have been fortunate enough to have watched the events in prior years on television or DVD, if not in real life as well.

The occasion has morphed from a single day of great sporting action (1984-2006) into a two-day extravaganza which is the scenario that has prevailed since 2007 and continues this year. Twelve North American tracks – 11 in the USA and 1 in Canada – have had the honour of hosting the programme and this year sees a new addition. This is the historic oceanside Del Mar Thoroughbred Club on Jimmy Durante Boulevard in suburban San Diego, California, a venue established by a group headed by popular entertainers including Bing Crosby and Oliver Hardy with the slogan: “Where the surf meets the turf”.

No less than 9 previous winners of Breeders’ Cup events are returning with the aim of adding another layer of gilt on their already glittering resumes: Arrogate, Champagne Room, Drefong, Finest City, Highland Reel, Lady Eli, Mongolian Saturday, Oscar Performance and Queen's Trust.

Unfortunately for viewers in India most of the action will take place in the middle of the night – but then there is plenty to keep one awake! So pencil in the nights of Friday, November 3rd, and Saturday, November 4th for your viewing pleasure. Friday's four Breeders’ Cup races are previewed here, while Saturday's nine Breeders’ Cup races will be covered in a separate piece.

Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (Gr.1; 8 fur.) 6th Race Post Time 2:25 pm PDT (2:55 am IST)

Relatively inconsequential races will begin the afternoon and the action will switch modes to the Breeders’ Cup with the sixth contest. This is the $1 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf at one mile, which has drawn a capacity field of 14, evenly split between American and European-breds. The latter group consists of half a dozen from the Emerald Isle and one baguette – sorry, I meant French-bred! As expected, Aidan O'Brien has a couple of leading contenders here in the shape of the Coolmore partners’ Happily (by Galileo), coming off a splendid win over colts in the Qatar Prix Jean Luc Lagardere in France on October 1, and September (by Deep Impact). That said, it must be remembered that O’Brien has only an eleven per cent strike rate at the Breeders’ Cup.

John Gosden has pitched Juliet Capulet (by Dark Angel) into the fray but finds her drawn wide in gate 13 and Frankie Dettori will have his work cut out on the Cheveley Park Stud standard-bearer. Also trained so far in Newmarket is Team Valor’s Capla Temptress (by Lope de Vega), hitherto schooled by Marco Botti and now with Bill Mott. The best of the locals, and the likely public choice, is Rushing Fall (by More Than Ready) – her trainer Chad Brown has already sent out three previous winners of this race in its relatively short history.

Las Vegas Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (Gr.1; 8 fur.) 7th Race Post Time 3:05 pm PDT (3:35 am IST)

The $1,000,000 Las Vegas Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile sees just 10 runners as some of the original 16 entrants have opted for alternative assignments. Owner Michael Lund Petersen has had a long association with Bob Baffert  – a few years ago they campaigned One Lucky Dane, now a stallion at the Pratap Racecitement Stud in Telangana. Their representative here is the lukewarm favourite, Mor Spirit (by Eskendereya), not seen since annexing the Metropolitan Mile in the East back in June.

Baffert is double-handed with Cupid (by Tapit), a future Ashford Stud stallion, quoted at a juicy 8 to 1. However, many people’s idea of the winner is Accelerate (by Lookin At Lucky), who resides in the John Sadler barn in Southern California and is rather familiar with the Del Mar track. Victor Espinoza will guide his fortunes. The ubiquitous Chad Brown barn sends forth the only three-year-old in the line-up, namely Practical Joke (by Into Mischief), though a more talented ambassador for runners from the East is the consistent Sharp Azteca (by Freud), a ward of the Jorge Navarro barn.

Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf (Gr.1, 8 fur.) 8th Race Post Time 3:50 pm PDT (4:20 am IST)

This $1,000,000 event has proved popular and all 14 available spots have been taken up. Aidan O’Brien has chosen to switch perhaps his best two-year-old colt U.S. Navy Flag to the dirt on Saturday and instead fields the runner-up to the first-named in the Darley Dewhurst Stakes, namely Mendelssohn (by Scat Daddy), with Ryan Moore up. This move has met with a lukewarm response from the betting market. Another from Europe, Godolphin’s Masar (by New Approach) is the likely favourite, his only defeats having come at the hands of O’Brien’s wards.

Yet another pair from across the pond are James Garfield (by Exceed And Excel), whose connections have secured the services of Frankie Dettori, which might account for the shorter than expected odds, and Beckford (by Bated Breath), to be steered by Joel Rosario.

It would be a great boost to the concept of globalization if Untamed Domain (by Animal Kingdom) could prevail as he is by an American-born son of a Brazilian sire and German dam. Like his sire, Untamed Domain is trained by Graham Motion, who will also be directing – in due course – the fortunes of the Indian ace Serjeant At Arms.

Incidentally, both Dettori and Moore have won this race thrice apiece in its 10-year history.

Longines Breeders' Cup Distaff (Gr.1, 9 fur.)        9th Race                  Post Time 4:35 pm PDT (5:05 am IST)

One of the best fillies of recent times in North America is the Virginia-bred Stellar Wind (by Curlin), whose career record shows 10 victories and only 5 losses. However, a couple of those failures came in Breeders’ Cup events in the last two years, which raises the question: does the big occasion unnerve her? Trainer John Sadler kept her winning streak at Del Mar alive when he sent her out to victory in the Clement L. Hirsch Stakes at the end of July and she has been kept fresh since. Victor Espinoza will continue his partnership on the five-year-old who is unbeaten in three starts this year and will start as the “chalk” in this $2,000,000 race.

Facing her will be just 7 rivals, spearheaded by Canadian diamond prospector Charles Fipke's homebred Forever Unbridled (by Unbridled's Song), attempting to improve on her third-placed effort of last year. She has the distinction of having beaten the great Songbird earlier this season, so is clearly a threat. 

Paradise Woods (by Union Rags) is a noted pacesetter who often builds up so much steam that none can catch her. The fact that she was able to rebound after a pair of insipid performances makes her a live prospect, as is the Bob Baffert-trained triple Grade 1 winner, Abel Tasman (by Quality Road), well drawn in 4. Finally, keeping in mind the fact that Bill Mott has trained 5 previous winners of this race, one must respect his representative here, Elate (by Medaglia d’Oro), who has been in irresistible form of late.