THERE will be many devoted racing fans who will pack up shop after the 4.10 bumper at Down Royal today and not even think of switching over to events at Churchill Downs.

They will miss one of the most fascinating contests of the year, this evening in the 2018 Breeders’ Cup Classic.

Yes, there’s legitimate drugs in use, and a ‘when in Rome attitude’ from the Europeans, and Justify would have made it even more intriguing, but the assembled cast make it one of the reasons why modern global flat racing is so enthralling.

We have a European champion, American-bred and winner of the British and Irish Champions Stakes in Roaring Lion, the Dubai World Cup winner Thunder Snow, joining him the UAE Derby winner Mendelssohn, American-bred and trained in Ireland, and the Dubai Dirt sprint, the six furlong Golden Shaheen winner Mind Your Biscuits, all winners on that same day in Meydan last March.

We have Yoshida, a Japanese-bred, with a Grade 1 win in America on turf and dirt.The USA offer us winners of the Jockey Club Gold Cup and with Justify gone, the best of the three-year-olds in Catholic Boy, also a Grade 1 winner on turf and dirt. Then throw in the top west coast runners, multiple Grade 1 winner Accelerate, McKinzie and West Coast himself. Roll on 9.44pm. Thunder Snow might be the way to go if he gets a good spot from the gate.