Weekend Preview: Newbury provides the best of Saturday's action

Despite the York Ebor meeting rapidly approaching, Newbury stage a high-quality day of racing which will be witnessed by a capacity crowd. The Group 2 Hungerford Stakes is the feature race on the card and a strong field will go to post, despite Henry Cecil withdrawing his star mare Chachamaidee after she failed to eat up.

Strong Suit comfortably tops the ratings by virtue of his splendid effort in the Challenge Stakes last year, however, he has not looked in the same form this season and his chance will diminish with any rain that hits Newbury. Godolphin's Soul was a smart performer in Australia prior to moving to Saaed Bin Suroor's yard and enters this contest on the back of a career-best effort in the Hackwood Stakes, at this venue, last time out. He is an obvious danger to Strong Suit and is sure to have his supporters amongst the busy crowd with household-name Frankie Dettori back in the saddle.

In the preceding Group 3 Geoffrey Freer Stakes, last year's St Leger winner Masked Marvel attempts to bounce back from a disappointing effort in the King George, having only beat the pacemaker home in the prestigious Ascot race. He faces a couple of intriguing rivals in the shape of Mount Athos and Brown Panther, though. Mount Athos has won on both starts since being sent to Luca Cumani and produced a fine effort to land the Silver Cup at York last time, powering clear of his rivals looking as if there was further improvement still to come.

Brown Panther was, of course, victorious at last year's Royal Ascot meeting and has produced some good efforts since, including when second in this contest before finishing runner-up to Masked Marvel at Doncaster. His latest effort in the King George, although finishing well beaten, was actually an improvement on the form he had produced to date and he holds an obvious chance here.

Earlier on the card, Just The Judge, an impressive winner on her sole start, runs in the listed race for two-year-olds. She created a fine impression on her debut here, quickening clear in good style to register a cosy victory and already looks well worth her place at this level.

There is a competitive card at Newmarket, where the annual race restricted to grey horses takes place. The race provides quite the spectacle as some very dubious shades of grey hurtle down the July course. Time Medicean got up in the shadows of the post to win at Glorious Goodwood and is likely to be supported to follow up, whilst Dream Catcher has won on both of his last two outings and Henry Candy's representative looks to have solid claims of bagging the hat-trick.

Dealing with the more conventional races at Newmarket, the Mark Johnston-trained Galician, who finished runner-up in the Shergar Cup Sprint last time out, bids to go one better in the following race. It is a typically competitive field for a Newmarket six furlong handicap, though, and there is likely to be plenty of horses involved at the finish.

Picking the winner of the Great St Wilfred at Ripon is not likely to be an easy task, as twenty battle-hardened handicappers go to post. Alben Star wasn't beaten far in the Stewards' Cup at Glorious Goodwood and is likely to be towards the fore of the market, whilst the veteran Tax Free is something of a regular in these types of events.

There is top-quality action on the continent as all eyes focus on the Group 1 action from Deauville on Sunday. Snow Fairy makes her eagerly awaited return in what looks to be an extremely strong renewal of the Prix Jean Romanet. Amongst the top-class line-up is Giofra, who won the Falmouth Stakes last time, Timepiece, who finished runner-up in this contest last year as well as on her latest start in the Nassau Stakes, and Galikova, a half-sister to the legendary Goldikova and a Group 1 winner in her own right. Get the Timeform View on the race here.

The Prix Morny gives the two-year-olds an opportunity to gain Group 1 honours, and there is a strong chance that the prize will be going back to Britain, as Reckless Abandon, Sir Prancealot, Alhebayeb take their chance. The first two named battled out the finish in the Group 2 Prix Robert Papin and are sure to be amongst the leading contenders on Sunday. John Ingles has previewed the race and you can read it here

The Group 2 Prix Kergorlay provides good supporting action and you can get the Timeform Opinion here.