Weekend Preview: Girls hope to rule at Shergar Cup

Racing aficionados may be counting down the days until the York Ebor meeting and the prospect of seeing Frankel race over ten furlongs, but Ascot are sure to draw a large crowd this weekend for their Shergar Cup meeting. Not to everyone's taste, the Shergar Cup has established itself as an annual fixture in the racing calendar, and the latest tweak to the team event has seen the creation of an all-woman team, which has caught the imagination of the public and media.

Successful British rider Hayley Turner will be joined by Canadian stars Chantal Sutherland and Emma-Jayne Wilson as they bid to defeat teams comprising riders from Britain and Ireland, Europe and the Rest of the World. There is also individual pride at stake and all the riders will be aiming to take home the Silver Saddle, a prize awarded to the leading rider at the event.

The Girls will be fancied in many quarters to ride away with the title of winning team, as they have managed to land some strong rides. Emma-Jayne Wilson gets the leg-up on Bancnuanaheireann in the first, and he looks to have a fine chance to atone for his unlucky defeat at Glorious Goodwood last week. Steps impressed many when quickening sharply to win at Newmarket recently and Hayley Turner rides him in the Shergar Cup Dash, whilst Chantal Sutherland also has strong claims aboard Zero Money in that contest.

Away from Ascot, Newmarket stages a decent card, with the Sweet Solera Stakes being a race of particular interest. The Group 3 contest, restricted to two-year-old fillies, has been won by some useful performers down the years, with Godolphin challengers winning the last three renewals. Mahmood Al Zarooni saddles impressive maiden winner Certify this year, bidding to extend the good record of Godolphin, but she will not have things all her own way as Sky Lantern, from the Richard Hannon yard, has also looked like she possesses a fair amount of talent.

A competitive seven furlong handicap precedes the Sweet Solera Stakes, and Sir Michael Stoute's Zumbi, who came into this season with a big reputation, makes his first appearance since disappointing in the Free Handicap at Newmarket on his only start this campaign. Noble Citizen, King of Jazz and Castles In The Air are all regulars in big handicaps and add extra interest to what is likely to be a compelling contest.

Haydock also race on Saturday, with the feature contest being the Group 3 Rose of Lancaster Stakes. With only the five runners set to go to post, it is a disappointing turnout in numerical terms, but an enthralling contest still looks to be in store as useful performers such as Ransom Note, Jet Away and Gabriel compete against each other.

Later on the card, a host of progressive fillies face each other in a fascinating listed race. Dank was an impressive winner of a handicap at Ascot recently and is sure to be well supported, but Irish History ran well in the Group 1 Falmouth Stakes last time and boasts strong credentials on form. Rhythm of Light registered her first success since Royal Ascot 2011 when triumphant at Haydock last time out and represents the best of the four-year-old challenge.

There is an interesting card at the Curragh on Sunday, featuring the Group 1 Phoenix Stakes. Aidan O'Brien has a fantastic record in the race and Cristoforo Colombo looks to be his strongest representative this year. He was beaten by David Wachman's Probably last time out over the course and distance and another interesting tussle between the pair looks to be on the cards.

Starspangledbanner makes his return to the racecourse for the first time since the 2010 Sprint Cup, having failed to make his mark as a stallion in the interim. It will be interesting to see how much ability this talented sprinter retains.

The Prix Jacques Le Marois is the feature race at Deauville on Sunday and it is a fascinating renewal. Some of the best milers in Europe, including the likes of Excelebration and Cityscape, clash in what is likely to be a highly-informative contest. Timeform's John Ingles has previewed the race in depth and you can read his thoughts HERE.

There is Group 1 action over in Germany on Sunday as Earl of Tinsdal looks to bag the Grosser Preis von Bayern. Twice victorious at the top-level, he comes into this contest on the back of a good effort behind Meandre and should take a good deal of beating. You can get further views on Sunday's race HERE .