Kinane to swing it for home side

The pace of Mister Cosmi and Lady Dominatrix will provide a good lead, but if Feet So Fast is as progressive as he looked at Newmarket then Kinane will be waving them goodbye inside the final furlong.

Ground conditions will also have a massive say in the other races, and last week's Stewards' Cup gamble Hurricane Floyd faces a searching test of his stamina in the Moss Bros Shergar Cup Mile.

Logic suggests it will be beyond him, and while Beauchamp Pilot warrants maximum respect, Norton had his measure in the Royal Hunt Cup here in June and looks the each-way value to respond to Kinane's persuasive talents.

Kinane is aboard Kawagino in the British Red Cross Shergar Cup Juvenile, but this one failed to sparkle on soft ground at Newmarket.

Several of his rivals do handle the mud, and the presence of Kieren Fallon, the GB&I captain, looks a big boost to the chance of Tout Seul as he bids to make it three wins from four runs.

Proud Boast would have been the choice for the Porthault Shergar Cup Distaff had the trip been five furlongs.

This stiff six could see her stamina ebbing away late on, though, in which case Simianna is the each-way alternative. Alan Berry's filly is highly consistent with a fine record on soft ground, and that man Kinane is hardly likely to hinder her cause.

Whether team tactics will come into play in the later races remains to be seen, but Moon Emperor looks sure to give Kevin Darley a good ride in his bid to repeat last year's win in the Millennium Hotels And Resorts Shergar Cup Stayers.

Bollin Nellie could rise to Gerald Mosse's smooth style in a very trappy Carvill Shergar Cup Challenge, and then there's the issue of where the other prizes will go.

Kinane looks to have the mounts to lift the individual prize - a trophy depicting a jocket holding a silver saddle - awarded to the rider who amasses most points.

Britain and Ireland - or should that be Ireland with Darley helping out - will be very hard to beat overall.

However, whether you back a winner or not the Shergar Cup is slowly carving itself a niche in the racing calendar.

Bums on seats are what count nowadays and, weather permitting, around 20,000 of them will be seated at Ascot tomorrow.

Granted, a fair proportion of the crowd will be there primarily to see Natalie Imbruglia do her thing in what could be a very soggy paddock after the sport, but the racing will provide plenty of interest beforehand.

At least most of them will come from the Under-40 bracket which those who market racing are so desperate to attract - and that, if you will pardon the pun, is very much the bottom line.