The jockeys will grab most of the headlines at Ascot tomorrow when the cream of Britain and Ireland will lock horns with a team from the Rest of the World, but trainer Tim Easterby is hoping that Somnus also plays a starring role at the fully-televised Shergar Cup meeting.

Having thought long and hard about whether to run his crack three-year-old tomorrow, or send him to Ireland for a tilt at the Group 3 Phoenix Stakes on Sunday, Easterby has decided on the £60,000 Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup Sprint, and has already had a success of sorts in the riding department.

While there is a random draw for riders for all runners at this Jockeys' Challenge meeting, Easterby has, ironically, ended-up with Kevin Darley on Somnus, the Sheriff Hutton-based pilot having partnered the gelding to his last two wins.

A high-class juvenile last season, Somnus is fancied to take plenty of beating in this six-furlongs dash - and earn the home team of riders some valuable points in racing's self-styled equivalent of golf's Walker Cup.

Top Australian rider Shane Dye will be aboard Easterby's recent winner Forever Times in the Porthault Shergar Cup Distaff, while Mick Kinane will team up with John Wainwright's Vita Spericolata, but my idea of the winner is Torosay Spring, the mount of Darryll Holland.

A fluent winner of a Group 3 race at York last month, Torosay Spring has been raised 10lb as a result, but this high-class sprinter is considered capable of defying top-weight in this limited handicap and is awarded the nap vote.

James Fanshawe, trainer of Torosay Spring, can also land the Carvill Shergar Cup Challenge with the ultra-consistent Reveillez, the mount of Pat Eddery, who will also be aboard Mark Johnston's course specialist Mana d'Argent, who goes for back-to-back wins in the Sodexho Shergar Cup Stayers Handicap.

Mornin Reserves, narrowly beaten in Ireland last time, is fancied to show his rivals a clean pair of heels in the opening coral.co.uk Handicap at Haydock, while Far Lane, winner of last month's John Smith's Cup, should make a bold bid in the Group 3 Petros Rose of Lancaster Stakes.

In the £70,000 Tote Exacta Handicap, Richard Hughes'' mount Salcombe gets the vote.

The three-year-old has proved difficult to win with this season, but has several good efforts to his credit.

The highlight at Redcar is the £30,000 Tetley's Imperial Ale Rated Handicap, which looks a good opportunity for Top Dirham.

Mick Easterby's charge won the Carlisle Bell a couple of outings ago having previously scored at Thirsk. Far from disgraced behind Definite Guest at York last time, when not getting the run of the race, Top Dirham certainly deserves another chance.

Also worth noting is the dropped-in-class King Tara (2-10), the promising True (2-45) and the tricky, but talented Double Blade (4-20).

Tomorrow's tips:

Ascot

1-45 Green Line, 2-15 Torosay Spring (NAP), 2-50 Kinnaird, 3-25 Mana d'Argent, 4-00 Reveillez, 4-30 Somnus

Redcar

2-10 King Tara, 2-45 True, 3-15 Blue Spinnaker, 3-50 Juristicia, 4-20 Double Blade, 4-55 Torrent

Haydock

2-00 Mornin Reserves, 2-35 Far Lane, 3-10 Neckar Valley, 3-45 Ruby Rocket, 4-15 Flur Na H Alba, 4-50 Innovation

Tomorrow's other race meetings are at Newmarket and Stratford.

Updated: 12:20 Friday, August 08, 2003