Global Weekly Preview: Saeed bin Suroor looks for third York Ebor

Just as York's celebrated Ebor meeting comes to a close in Britain, and Deauville's month-long racing-fest is on its last legs, Saratoga comes to the fore on the global stage, with six Grade 1 races on Saturday's card, headed by a fascinating renewal of the Travers Stakes.

There is no escaping the fact that international racing comes into its own during the month of August.

The action on Knavesmire has been exceptional, even with the ground taking a battering due to an unexpected torrential downpour early in the week.

But the great racing is far from over yet, and long-serving Godolphin trainer Saeed bin Suroor has the chance to grab the limelight on the final day by saddling his third winner of the Ebor, the richest Flat handicap in Europe.

Saeed sends out the very able staying filly Natural Scenery, runner-up in the Northumberland Plate and fourth in the G3 Lillie Langtry Stakes at Goodwood, as well as Winning Story, a winner of Lingfield's All-Weather Marathon.

The trainer won the Ebor with All The Good after it was transferred to Newbury when York was flooded in 2008, and Willing Foe in 2012. Both his runners this year could certainly match the staying power of his winners of the race.

Elsewhere, Godolphin trainer Charlie Appleby sends Frontiersman to Sunday's G2 Grand Prix de Deauville, in which the colt faces six rivals, including the in-form Tiberian, who is Australia-bound for the G1 Melbourne Cup in November.

In America, the G1 Kentucky Derby winner Always Dreaming attempts to pick up the winning thread again after finishing eighth in the G1 Preakness at Pimlico and third recently in the G2 Jim Dandy at Saratoga.

The Jim Dandy was won by Good Samaritan, who posted a most convincing victory of four and threequarter lengths. He might just be the type to climb quite a bit higher in the second half of the season.

The outstanding Songbird takes a shot at the G1 Personal Ensign, while on the same card, Erupt and Idaho are two Europeans likely to do well in the G1 Sword Dancer, over one and a half miles on turf.