GREAT BRITAIN and Ireland are in a strong position to avenge last year's heavy defeat inflicted by the Rest of the World in the Shergar Cup at Ascot today.

The six jockeys picked to represent the home team are being "managed" by the former world snooker champion and ardent racing fan, John Parrott.

"We were hot 1-2 favourites and got thumped last year. I think we've got a really good book of rides, but they've still got to go and win," said Parrott contemplating the horses his team has drawn for the six ten-runner races.

Parrott is certainly not wrong about the quality of his team, especially in the opener, the Moss Bros Mile, in which Kieren Fallon, partnering Beauchamp Pilot, and Richard Hughes, aboard Bouncing Bowdler, could well make it one-two in favour of "our boys".

In view of the predicted bottomless ground at Ascot - believe it or not for once they've had far more rain than us over the past few days - Mark Johnston's Bouncing Bowdler (1.30) just gets the nod.

Assiduous students of form will no doubt recall that conditions were more suitable for ducks than racehorses when Bouncing Bowdler sluiced through the puddles to collect a similarly valuable contest at Epsom over seven furlongs last season.

The Rest of the World could easily hit back in the following British Red Cross Juvenile Auction Stakes via another Middleham-trained raider, Patrick Haslam's Devious Boy (2.05), ridden by the California-based jockey, David Flores.

Flores, the top rider at the Cup meeting 12 months ago, won many admirers on that occasion with his superb judgement of pace. Such skill will once again be at a premium in the prevailing ground, which, incidentally, Devious Boy proved he could handle admirably with a brace of gutsy victories on his last two starts at that well-known Scottish glue-pot Hamilton.

Ace Aussie Craig Williams and crack South African Doug Whyte pilot both have chances for the Rest of the World in the six-furlong Fillies & Mares Handicap on Lady Links and Bright Edge respectively.

The negative factor as far that duo are concerned is they might not be quite so able to plough through the mud as efficiently as the confirmed "water-baby", Great Britain and Ireland's Damalis (2.40).

The bookmaking firm, Blue Square, have installed Johnny Murtagh as 11-4 favourite to be leading jockey this time round and perhaps his best opportunity to helping confirm that status is on Random Quest (3.15) in the Millennium Hotels Stayers Handicap.

Paul Cole's four-year-old made every yard of the running to lift a decent prize over two-miles-and-two-furlongs at Chester last Sunday, underlining his current rude state of health.

If the eventual fate of the Cup boils down to the result of the closing Dubai Duty Sprint I have no hesitation in nominating Feet So Fast (4.25) as the most likely winner, in fact he looks a positive free kick into an open goal.

Willie Musson's gelding has blown away the opposition on his last three starts in absolutely scintillating style. He's also due to be partnered by arguably Great Britain and Ireland's top-dog in the jockey stakes, the hard man of the saddle, Mick Kinane.

Ascot hasn't got a total monopoly on the best of the action because both Haydock and Newmarket have put together excellent cards.

The feature at Haydock, the £40,000 Tote Exacta Showcase Handicap, looks on paper at least extremely competitive. However, in reality, the thus far unbeaten Legal Approach (3.30) could just turn the race into a procession.

Racing North supplement readers may remember we highlighted this son of Zafonic as a potential Classic candidate. Early-season injury and sickness problems put paid to those heady notions, though Legal Approach did take the eye on his belated return with a gritty course-and-distance win three weeks ago.

Legal Approach demonstrates just what strength-in-depth Mark Johnston has in his mighty armoury, further highlighted by the distinct possibility that he will also scoop Newmarket's showpiece, the £30,000 Letherby & Christopher Silver Salver Stakes, with Takes Tutu (2.45).

Takes Tutu, with the help of first-time blinkers, got back on the winning trail in a similar standard event at Glorious Goodwood, and there's no question that the three-year-old is still very much on an upward curve.

Redcar gets under way at 11.30 with a typically hard-to-solve 18-runner Selling Stakes.

Something of a "pin job" really, although I do believe punters will get a run for their money if siding with Mark Brisbourne's Schematic.

The Tetley's Imperial Ale Rated Stakes can fall to the top-weight Digital (1.00) from Mick Channon's bang-in-form Lambourn stable.

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