Tuesday, 7 August 2012: Some of the world's best jockeys descend upon Ascot for the Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup on Saturday.
The Shergar Cup is an international competition comprising of four teams of jockeys. The line-up for the Rest of the World team of male jockeys is 18-time champion Yutaka Take (Captain, Japan), Dubai World Cup-winning Aaron Gryder (USA) and rising star Matthew Chadwick (Hong Kong).
The line-up for the European team of male jockeys will be Frankie Dettori (Captain, Italy), if he is available to ride, with his team-mates, three-times champion Andreas Suborics (Germany) and Cristian Demuro, crowned last season's champion jockey aged just 19, (Italy). The line-up for the Great Britain & Ireland male team will be announced later this week.
The three male teams will go against the first ever all-female team to take part in an international jockeys' competition, made of up of arguably the world's three top female riders, Hayley Turner (Captain, UK), and Grade 1 winning riders Chantal Sutherland (Canada/US) and Emma-Jayne Wilson (Canada).
Riders accumulate points for their teams according to their finishing positions in the six races (12.55pm - 3.50pm).
The classiest race of the week in England is the Talk To Victor Rose of Lancaster Stakes at Haydock at 2.55pm.
Gabrial has the option of a rather easier task compared to when he was outclassed by Frankel in last week's Sussex Stakes, coming in third behind the wonderhorse and his nearest pursuer, Farhh.
Some other useful types could feature in this Group 3 event over an extended mile and a quarter (2000m), including Hughie Morrison's Sagramor, who was second to Carlton House on his reappearance at Sandown.
Saeed bin Suroor has entered Sandagiyr and Hunter's Light, while the highest-rated horse in the field is the John Gosden-trained Questioning, although he has not won since claiming the Earl of Sefton Stakes in the spring.
Ransom Note, Jet Away, Kingsdesire and Mark Johnston's Landaman, winner of the first and last events at Glorious Goodwood, are other notable entries.
There's one Group 1 race this week, and that takes place at The Curragh in Ireland on Sunday. The €190,000 Keeneland Phoenix Stakes at 3.50pm is for two-year-olds and run over six furlongs (1200m) and could see the reappearance of this season's leading juvenile Dawn Approach.
Unbeaten in his four starts, the Jim Bolger-trained son of New Approach was last seen defeating subsequent Goodwood winner Olympic Approach at Royal Ascot in June.
This top class card also includes two Group 2 contests, the Debutante Stakes, for two-year-old fillies over seven furlongs (1400 metres), at 3.20pm, and the Keeneland Royal Whip Stakes over 10 furlongs (2000m) at 2.50pm. There's also the Group 3 Phoenix Sprint over six furlongs (1200 metres) at 4.20pm.
Ends
