All you need to know about the US racing extravaganza at Churchill Downs

What is it?

This year's Breeders’ Cup consists of 14 races run on dirt and grass surfaces over two days, with both days including an undercard – the Marathon, featuring Toast Of New York, is one such race on Friday night.

This year the meeting returns to Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky, for the first time since 2011.

Toast Of New York: will run in the MarathonCredit: Edward Whitaker

What about the British and Irish challenge?

British and Irish trainers have sent out 24 Breeders' Cup winners in the last decade and could easily challenge their best yearly haul of five winners in that time – set in 2009 and 2013 – given a sizeable representation.

There were 30 Breeders' Cup runners trained in Britain and Ireland last year, but 34 have been declared across the 14 races this time, plus four reserves.

Changes from last year

There are 13 Grade 1 prizes set to be contested on Friday and Saturday. Friday is 'future stars' day as all five Breeders' Cup races are for two-year-olds.

That is a change from last year, when the Friday contained a pair of two-year-old races, plus the Distaff and Dirt Mile - those two races are on Saturday this year.

The Listed Juvenile Turf Sprint is the only non-Grade 1 Breeders' Cup race and moves to Friday, having been on the Saturday undercard in 2017.

Saturday is an epic day of top-class racing with nine Grade 1 prizes. The feature is the $6 million Breeders' Cup Classic, with three British and Irish runners headed by Roaring Lion, while Enable is odds-on for the $4 million Turf.

The track

Churchill Downs is arguably the most iconic racecourse in the US, and it plays host to the nation's most famous race, the Kentucky Derby. This year will be the ninth time the Breeders' Cup has been hosted by the track.

There are turf and dirt courses, with the turf being on the inside. That track is an oval of seven furlongs, while the dirt course is a mile long but with a chute on the far side with a mile starting point. The dirt surface is made from sand and silt with a small percentage of clay.

Churchill Downs: Kentucky track hosts the Breeders' CupCredit: Edward Whitaker

British and Irish record at past Churchill Downs Breeders' Cups

The Breeders' Cup was last at Churchill Downs in 2010 and 2011, when British and Irish-trained runners managed just three victories across the two years.

The Breeders' Cup Turf was won by Dangerous Midge (2010) and St Nicholas Abbey (2011), while the only other success came for Wrote in the 2011 Juvenile Turf.

St Nicholas Abbey and Joseph O'Brien win the Breeders Cup TurfCredit: Edward Whitaker

How do I watch and follow it?

The time difference – just four hours earlier than GMT – is much more conducive this year for watching and betting purposes, and Coral, for one, are confidently predicting record turnover.

Spokesman Simon Clare said: “The combination of the most punter-friendly Breeders' Cup racetimes in the event’s history and biggest ever European raiding party is a potent cocktail that will see record levels of betting on the meeting in the UK and Ireland."

The races of interest on Friday, including the Marathon, are from 7.21pm-10.43pm, while on Saturday the window is 4pm to 9.44pm.

You can follow all the action on both days with the Racing Post's live blog, while At The Races have exclusive coverage.

Two key European runners

Enable - Turf, Saturday, 8.56pm

For many the superb dual Arc winner will be the banker of the two-day meeting, but be warned – eight Arc winners have attempted to follow up at the Breeders' Cup the same year and all of them were beaten.

Enable: Hoping to become first Arc winner to win the Breeders' Cup TurfCredit: Alan Crowhurst

Roaring Lion - Classic, Saturday, 9.44pm

One of the stars of the season, Roaring Lion bids to end his career on the biggest high possible. The four-time Group 1 winner will make his dirt debut on his swansong in a race trainer John Gosden won in 2008 with Raven's Pass, albeit on a different surface at Santa Anita. Thunder Snow (Saeed Bin Suroor) and Mendelssohn (Aidan O'Brien) also take on the Americans at their own game.

And three local horses to get to grips with

It's worth saying, for starters, that six of the races across the two days do not contain a European challenger, so there will be local form to get your head around.

If you wanted to get with a US-trained horse in the later races on Saturday, Oscar Performance (Mile), Mononomy Girl (Distaff) and Accelerate (Classic) would be a good starting point.

You can follow all of the Breeders Cup action by following the live blog on the Racing Post website