The Breeders' Cup is without question the most thrilling race meeting of the year. I am fortunate enough to attend most of Europe's great races, and have also been at several Dubai World Cups and a Hong Kong International meeting but nothing comes close to the atmosphere and anticipation of the annual pilgrimage to the USA for what they now call The World Thoroughbred Championships. It really is Horse Racing's Ryder Cup as for one great day Irish horses, German horses, French horses, and the Godolphin horses are all cheered on by British punters as if representing a European team against America's best.

The fact that it moves from state to state adds to the meeting's huge appeal. One year we're wearing winter coats and thermals at Arlington Park, Chicago. The next year it's shorts and shades as we bask in 90 degree heat of Santa Anita, California. This year of course the Breeders' Cup visits Texas for the first time and Lone Star Park is preparing for the biggest day in its very short history.

I look forward to it all summer, listening to the post race interviews of the major races like the King George and the Arc hoping that connections of the winners tell the media that their charges are heading for the States. This year however the build up proved frustrating as so few of Europe's top horses were being targeted at this new venue. But thank heaven for Lord Derby and Ed Dunlop as their brave decision to send Ouija Board to Texas ensured that Team Europe had a top class team captain and the British press corps had something to write about.

Yesterday I landed in Dallas at 3.00pm local time (9pm back home in England) in the most awful weather imaginable and certainly the opposite of what I or anyone expected. Torrential rain had closed the airport for an hour before we landed, and closed the airport again just 15 minutes after my flight had touched down. My first major piece of luck of Breeders' Cup week. I hope there'll be more.

On arriving at the media hotel, having travelled for the best part of 14 hours, the most important thing to do is find out what's been happening. Has a hot favourite stood on a stone? Has Lone Star been submerged? Is the Media Centre bar still free! Fortunately nothing dramatic had happened. Balto Star and Sarafan were out of the Breeders' Cup Turf (no big deal), Stay Forever was a non runner in the Filly & Mare Turf (even less of a big deal) and two fillies, Ready's Gal and Enduring Will were out of the Juvenile Fillies (ditto). The European horses had landed safely and the build up to Breeders' Cup Day at Lone Star Park had begun.

This morning, due entirely to the six hour time difference, I woke up at 4.30am in the morning feeling great. It will come as no surprise to find that this is not the norm. However, this is a helpful side effect as all the action on the track takes place between 6.30am and 9.30am so an early start is essential. In Dallas it doesn't get light until nearly 8am so the morning works take place under the lights, but as all the European horses were locked up in the quarantine barn there wasn't a great deal to watch anyway.

Personal Rush, the fascinating Japanese contender in the Breeders' Cup Classic, cantered round the mile dirt track twice, working up a real sweat but looking terrific. His form is impossible to fathom as there is no correlation between the Japanese dirt form and that of the top US horses. Though it is an extremely tough assignment to try and beat the Yanks on their preferred surface, it is dangerous to underestimate raiders from Japan. He'll be a huge price on the PMU on the day and would be worth a small each way flutter if 50-1 or bigger.

The British racing media circled the large expansive barn complex searching for a story. The travelling head lad from Ed Dunlop's yard threw them a few scraps on Ouija Board who had landed the previous afternoon. According to him, she had travelled well, seemed in great form and was now walking around the Quarantine barn. At least they now had something to write about. More interestingly the torrential rain had apparently had a profound effect on the Lone Star Turf track. Instead of the lightning quick ground that everyone was expecting, the rainfall had turned the turf soft. With more rain forecast between now and Saturday, the chances of firm going are considered nil and it is possible that Good to Soft or even soft ground could be the order of the day.

So who would soft ground suit? Whipper's chance could be greatly enhanced and soft ground shouldn't pose a problem for Six Perfections. However some of the US milers could be massively inconvenienced particularly the West coast horses like Special Ring and Blakdoun who've been running on fast ground for most of their careers. In the Turf it would play to Powerscourt's stamina strengths and could test Kitten's Joy's ability to see out the trip. In the Filly & Mare Turf it could also favour Ouija Board. Sure, she seems to love fast ground but around this tight, speedy turf track, the softer going will slow the race down, inconvenience some of her rivals, and give her more chance to impose her undoubted superiority on her opposition. In my opinion this rainfall has seriously enhanced Europe's chances of success of Saturday.

After several hours of wandering around the vast backstretch area and the impressive Grandstand, the media circus moved on to Eddie Dean's Ranch, a restaurant where the Breeders' Cup Media Press Lunch was being held. Needless to say the media were well fed and watered before being introduced to a panel of guests at the Breeders Cup press conference. The stars of the show were the brilliant Jerry Bailey and the immensely charismatic D Wayne Lukas. Jerry Bailey spoke confidently about the chances of both Six Perfections and Pleasantly Perfect but also gave some encouragement to backers of Balletto in the Juvenile Fillies. D Wayne Lukas passed on the very significant news that Azeri, the star US filly, would pass up an easier opportunity in the Breeders Cup Distaff (for which she was 11-10) and instead go for the $4 million Breeders Cup Classic (a 14-1 chance with Coral).

All in all, it had been a pretty informative day but the Wednesday of Breeders Cup week is always the most significant. That's when the final entries are made and the post position draw is held. The draw is vital in the Sprint, very important in the Mile and the Filly & Mare Turf and relevant to all the other races. Once the entries are known all the races become non runner no bet, so the chance of doing your money in cold blood will disappear. I will report back then and start to assess the best as we approach the greatest day's racing on earth.