Breakfast, anyone

Just returned from the annual Breakfast With the Stars and got my first real look and walk around the apron and the track at Meydan.

Despite the construction still going on around many areas of the track, it is amazing just how massive the place really is. It's tough to really describe it in words and our photographer said it is really tough to even capture it visually because you can't get far enough away from it to get a good overall shot. Plus, it was very overcast and foggy this morning, which gave the facility an eerie sci-fi quality more reminiscent of the movie Independence Day or the TV show V than a racetrack.

Hundreds of tables were set up around the apron with food stations on each side that contained scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, omlette and pancake stations, beans, stuffed tomatoes, hash browns, several kinds of fresh fruit, pastries, breads, oatmeal, cereals, yogurts, and freshly squeezed orange juice. Enough for thousands of people.

The great thing about the event is that the connections from most of the horses running on World Cup day make an appearance so you don't have to run and try to chase people down, which at Meydan would be a chore!

I spoke to several of the American interests this morning, including trainer Mary Hartmann (Presious Passion), who was a doll; trainer Christophe Clement (Gio Ponti); trainer Carl O'Callaghan (Kinsale King); international trainer Luca Cumani (Presvis, Summit Surge); jockeys Aaron Gryder, Edgar Prado, and Julien Leparoux; and owners Jack Wolf (Take the Points), who I spoke to on Wednesday night at the post position draw, and Ken Ramsey (Furthest Land).

Ah yes, Ken Ramsey. Much more to say about Mr. Ramsey in a later post.

Not bad for about two hours work, huh? Plus the food was outstanding. Now I've just got to find time to write all of this up.

You can read more than is posted at this blog at http://www.thoroughbredtimes.com/ or in Thoroughbred Times TODAY.

Gotta get cracking. Arabian Nights party in the desert tonight, which I certainly will post about late this afternoon back home.