Saturday brings a packed programme of Flat racing from Ascot and Lingfield Park, live on Sky Sports Racing, with the Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup taking centre stage at Ascot.
According to racingbetter.co.uk, this year's meeting marks the 25th running of the Shergar Cup and will again be contested as a six-race team tournament, staged under the World Pool banner.
4.30 Ascot - Ebt's Guard and Cerulean Bay catch the eye in the Mile
The card closes with the Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup Mile, a cracking contest featuring a field of 10 in which Ebt's Guard and Cerulean Bay both boast solid recent form.
Trainers William Muir and Chris Grassick send out Ebt's Guard, who endured a difficult passage when finishing down the field at Goodwood last time but has previously shown real affinity for the Ascot track, with placed runs in both the Royal Hunt Cup and the Balmoral Handicap.
Cerulean Bay, partnered by Jamie Melham for trainer David O'Meara, carries top weight. The horse ran on strongly to take second in the Goodwood Mile last weekend, and connections will be hopeful of another bold showing despite a one-pound rise in the ratings.
Also worth noting is Two Tribes, who steps up in trip to a mile having been slowly away at Goodwood last weekend, with Dylan Browne McMonagle taking the ride considered something of a bonus for his supporters.
1.35 Ascot - Bolo Neighs and Tuco Salamanca headline the opening Dash
The card gets under way with a hotly contested Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup Dash, where Bolo Neighs and Tuco Salamanca are expected to attract plenty of attention from punters.
Bolo Neighs looks a clear pick for Team Europe with Christophe Lemaire on board. Trained by Ralph Beckett, the four-year-old has been beaten only narrowly in his last two starts at this course, and a clean break should see him play a leading role in the finish.
Tuco Salamanca represents a serious threat, ridden by Jerry Chau for the newly introduced Hong Kong team.
Spartan Arrow, meanwhile, has Ryan Moore in the saddle. Following a promising effort at Goodwood, the horse has been eased a few pounds further in the weights for this assignment.
3.55 Ascot - Saffie Osborne bids for a Hoseki hat-trick... and more
Saffie Osborne takes the plum ride aboard William Haggas's Hoseki, who is chasing a fourth consecutive win in the Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup Classic.
A daughter of Saxon Warrior, Hoseki has been in excellent form this season, winning all three starts to date including a victory over this exact course and distance last month. Even with a five-pound hike in the weights, there could be further improvement to come.
Blue Hercules has yet to register a win from five career starts but continues to progress with racing experience. Having run a fine race to finish runner-up here last time out, he should again be competitive under Jamie Melham.
Each-way interest could come from Royal Poetry and Ohara, while Ryan Moore is engaged to ride Archers Bay.
Late boosts and a big anniversary
The presence of both Ryan Moore and Dylan Browne McMonagle in the rider line-up represents a notable late boost for the meeting, according to racingahead.net, which was not previously confirmed.
Ascot's own preview material, cited by racingbetter.co.uk, notes that this year's renewal is the 25th edition of the Shergar Cup, run as a six-race team tournament under the World Pool banner. Gates open at 11:00am, with the first race off at 1:35pm and the final race, the Mile, at 4:30pm, per racingahead.net.
Sky Sports Racing will broadcast all six Shergar Cup races live, while ITV's coverage window runs from 1:10pm to 5:00pm, according to Sky Sports.
How the Shergar Cup has grown
The competition has a strong recent history. Last year's edition was won by Team Asia, who finished on 68 points to edge out Team Europe by a single point, with Ryusei Sakai and Suraj Narredu among the standout performers, as reported by Sky Sports.
Attendance figures have also been on the rise, with the Racing Post reporting a crowd of 24,701 at a recent Shergar Cup renewal, the biggest turnout for the fixture since 2018.
This year's meeting is also being billed as the first Shergar Cup to feature a Hong Kong Jockey Club team, adding a new international dimension to the traditional format, according to Sky Sports.
Ascot's Shergar Cup weekend follows hot on the heels of another major fixture at the track, with our earlier coverage detailing how Calandagan and Masquerade Ball led Ascot's King George showdown, a card that also featured Mezcala, Extremely Zain and Touleen among a strong Saturday line-up.
What happens next
The final declared field and official going report for Ascot are expected to be confirmed ahead of racing on 8 August 2026, according to racingbetter.co.uk.
Once the card concludes with the 4:30pm Mile, racegoers can look forward to a post-racing concert due to begin at 5:05pm, with Blue, B*Witched and Boyzlife all scheduled to perform, per racingbetter.co.uk and racingahead.net.
Best of the rest
11.37 Saratoga - Grade One Whitney Stakes - Magnitude, Sovereignty and Baeza feature among a cracking eight.
9.36 Saratoga - Grade One Test Stakes with Percy's Bar, Movie Night and Explora involved.
10.14 Saratoga - Fourstardave Stakes where Deterministic will be fancied for Miguel Clement.
10.52 Saratoga - Grade One Saratoga Derby with Title Role and Pacific Avenue in action. Glacius represents Hugo Palmer.
7.10 Lingfield - Novice where Saffron Bay and Kanzi feature among seven runners.
2.10 Ascot - Shergar Cup Stayers with Dancing In Paris and Shrimp Shandy likely types.
2.45 Ascot - Shergar Cup Challenge where last year's winner Night Breeze features.
3.20 Ascot - Shergar Cup Sprint - Thunder Call among the favourites.
12.58 Deauville - Group Three where William Haggas runs Tenability.
1.33 Deauville - Good Listed race - The Crisfords' Social Symbol and Drazinda declared.
4.07 Deauville - Listed again with Poker involved for Amo.
4.42 Deauville - Listed affair where Britain are well represented.
