From Classic action to a summer Jumps staple, we highlight four things that are worth keeping an eye out for during this weekend's racing.
There are eight meetings across the UK & Ireland on Saturday -- headlined by the Irish Oaks -- with four further fixtures on Sunday.
But it's not just the domestic racing that is worth a watch, there are also high quality affairs both in France and North America.
Weld unleashes full brother to Homeless Songs
Whilst the Irish Oaks will rightly grab headlines from the offerings at the Curragh this weekend, the seven-furlong maiden that is set to open the card is not one to be missed.
It will come as no surprise that Aidan O'Brien is gearing up to run three well-bred colts all by Wootton Bassett, but it's Dermot Weld's Porto Vecchio that catches the eye.
The mount of Chris Hayes is a full brother to Weld's brilliant Irish 1,000 Guineas winner Homeless Songs and will surely mean a lot to the yard given Weld has also trained five generations on the dam's side of the family.
Skelton's Market Rasen quartet
Summer jumping might not be high on the priority list of many with so much quality Flat action on offer, however, champion trainer Dan Skelton has readied a nice team for Market Rasen's feature Summer Plate day.
Year on year a packed crowd turns out for the Lincolnshire track's red-letter fixture and they will be hoping for some Skelton magic.
Kingston Narcissus (3/1) is currently favourite for the headline race and the Warwickshire-based handler also saddles two in the Summer Hurdle in Louis Veron (7/4) and Charlus (14/1). Skelton will also be represented in the opening contest courtesy of Loriko.
The Puma returns in the Haskell
Eyes from all around the globe will be fixed firmly on New Jersey this weekend... as seven go to post in the Grade 1 Haskell Stakes!
A 22:45 BST start time might be quite frustrating for football fans forced to split screen the feature race from Monmouth Park with the all-important World Cup third-place playoff between England and France, but the return of The Puma (3/1) is enough to warrant dual engagement.
Gustavo Delgado's three-year-old showed huge promise before his late withdrawal from the Kentucky Derby, getting the better of the reopposing Further Ado (6/4) in the Tampa Bay Derby in early March.
He also has Preakness winner Napoleon Solo (7/2) to contend with in what is a brilliant renewal of the race.
Sparan Nua's fairytale Classic bid
Victory for Jim Bolger in Saturday's Irish Oaks would be a true fairytale.
The 84-year-old is a true titan of the game and it would be fantastic if he could unearth one final gem in the twilight of his career. Bolger first won his Irish fillies Classic all the way back in 1986 and registered his second win with Margarula in 2002.
Almost a quarter of a century later, he is back with another chance as he saddles Munster Oaks winner Sparan Nua (8/1), who is unbeaten in three starts.
Any odds displayed were correct at the time of writing and are subject to fluctuation.
