Racing: Ascot likely to stage first Breeders' Cup in Europe

The world's most significant day of racing, the Breeders' Cup meeting, is on course to be held in Britain for the first time.

Organisers of the $13m (£8.25m) card which brings together the best horses in north America and many of European's finest in an autumn championships are currently considering moving to a different continent. Ascot is the favourite to stage an event which is the turf's version of the Olympics or World Cup.

"We can see the day when it would actually have great appeal to run the Breeders' Cup overseas," D G Van Clief Jnr, the president of the Breeders' Cup, told The Independent. "As this event develops, it's going to be possible to make a stronger case that it should travel to the UK or Europe."

The Breeders' Cup story began in 1984 at Hollywood Park, Los Angeles, the first stage for divisional titles with the aim of establishing the best horses on the planet. European owners and trainers were immediately attracted by both the prizemoney and the cachet.

The series has rotated through America's leading tracks, such as Churchill Downs in Kentucky, Florida's Gulfstream Park and, for the first time this October, Arlington Park in Chicago. Only once thus far have the championships been outside the States, in 1996, when the big day was held just over the border at Woodbine in Toronto. Some of the greatest names have been victorious at a Breeders' Cup, the likes of Miesque, Arazi and Cigar. But it was the identity of the winners at last fall's meeting, the first international sporting event in New York in the wake of 11 September, which further prompted the thought that the Breeders' Cup could be transferred to Europe. That October day there were victories for Banks Hill from France and Ireland's Johannesburg, the slayer of the home giant Officer, while Fantastic Light won his race for Godolphin and the same team's Sakhee all but beat the domestic hero Tiznow in the crowning spectacle, the Breeders' Cup Classic. It was a glorious day for the travellers.

The results did not sit badly either with Breeders' Cup Ltd, who had rebranded the day as "the world thoroughbred championships". "Frankly we think we were just plain fortunate last year with the event at Belmont Park and the extraordinarily high quality raiding party which went away with a lot of the gold and most of the hardware," Van Clief says. "We thought that was a wonderful introduction to out new concept and did point up the growing international importance of the Breeders' Cup. I admit that got us all thinking again about the pros and cons about the event going to Europe some day."

The transaltlantic bonds have become stronger. During the Royal meeting, a promotional arrangement was announced between Ascot, Longchamp and, on the other side of the pond, the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) and Breeders' Cup Ltd. Their aims are to promote each other's respective major events and "strengthen the linkage between European and United States' racing".

"When you add the recently announced strategic alliance with Ascot and Longchamp the argument tends to get a little stronger that we ought to consider moving," Van Clief says. "It's a quickly shrinking world and racing is a global sport. The emphasis is on the international athletes competing around the globe in big-money events."

A great supporter of a European Breeders' Cup is John Magnier, the supremo behind the Coolmore Stud and Ballydoyle, perhaps the most succesful training establishment in the world today. "We must capitalise on the Breeders' Cup potential of becoming our equivalent of the 'Ryder Cup' and make it a force for broadening racing's mass appeal to a whole new audience," he says.

"If the 'Ryder Cup' dream is to be realised all our attitudes have to change. We have a vision of a European racecourse being able to stage the Breeders' Cup every second year on the finest dirt track conceivable. This requires the closest co- operation and necessary funding from racing's authorities on both sides of the Atlantic for the common good of a global sport."

Funding and the political consideration of convincing Americans it is in their interest to come to Europe remain formidable obstacles. Yet already there is a timeframe for movement under way. "We've just consummated a new agreement with NBC Sports to be our television partner for another five years," Van Clief says. "That contract calls for the event to be conducted in the continent of the US.

"But this is an event which moves from venue to venue and we think that has been an important part of the appeal. We have resisted the argument that it should be stabilised in one venue. The Breeders' Cup is designed to promote racing as a sport and we think we can do a better job of that moving it from marketplace to marketplace. That leaves the door open for moving it further afield than has been our habit."

Europe's premier market appears to be Ascot, where Van Clief has been a regular visitor this year and will again be in evidence for this Saturday's King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes. The redesigned course and stands at Ascot are expected to be completed by 2007 after a £180m investment. A most alluring date for a historic Breeders' Cup though is 2011, when the course celebrates its 300th anniversary.

"It's a fantastic event and they're making it bigger and bigger," Douglas Erskine-Crum, the Ascot chief executive, said yesterday. "It would be a great opportunity [for us].

"It would bring the greatest single day's racing to a much wider television audience than any other meeting would have with the exception of the Grand National. It would be big hype. It would be a huge boost to racing in the UK.

"The Breeders' Cup has got to be held at a racecourse that can take 40,000 people-plus, so logically from that point of view you're talking about Ascot or Longchamp. God knows what the best racecourse is, but we call Ascot the most famous racecourse in the world."

The most famous racecourse staging the most famous raceday. It has a persuasive ring. The build-up starts here.