Breeders' Cup buzz struck a sharp contrast with some of our naff promotion in Britain - here's how we can do better

In general, I don’t take too much interest in American racing. I keep an eye on the Triple Crown races, particularly the Kentucky Derby, but you won’t find me tuning into action from Delta Downs, Gulfstream, Laurel Park or Penn National for my Friday evening entertainment.

The exception is the Breeders’ Cup. Each year, as the calendar turns from October to November, I am lured in. 

Being present at Churchill Downs, Del Mar, Keeneland or Santa Anita, it was easy to be swept up by the excitement. All the European horses and plenty of the American ones are on site, most with their trainers and jockeys, for a week’s worth of build-up. A Ryder Cup-style partisanship envelops the European squad, a feeling they are all on the same team against the hosts despite their personal rivalries.