EVENTS

Royal Ascot 2013: The Royal Ascot this year will feature prize-money of £5m. The name on everybody’s lips going into the Royal meeting is not a British horse nor is it an Irish horse. Rather it is the transatlantic star that is Animal Kingdom. Animal Kingdom has won a Kentucky Derby and a Dubai World Cup. He has become a star on the dirt but the question remains can he make quite the same impact on the turf of Berkshire? Look out for our EXTRA PLACE on selected races!

Wuxi Classic - Joe Perry v Ding Junhui: Joe Perry, who captured his maiden professional title at the weekend after 22 years of trying, has been installed as the outsider of the pair whilst Ding Junhui, the understandable favourite for the encounter, will be the crowd favourite with many trying to secure tickets for all of his matches. Perry, who defeated the World number two Mark Selby in the final of the APTC, will be in high spirits but must produce something special.

ICC Trophy - England v South Africa: Think of South Africa in a World Cup semifinal in England, and the mind immediately goes back to Edgbaston 1999 and the headless chicken run-out that resulted in a tie and Australia going through to the final. Think of a semifinal against England and you go back even further, to the year 1992, when the rain rule had reduced the match to a farce. South Africa's luck is at best dismal and on British soil, England lead 12-7 in the head-to-head stakes.

ATP Eastbourne - Stepanek v Kohlschreiber: Third seed Philipp Kohlschreiber trails Czech veteran Radek Stepanek 1-6 in the head-to-head series. Wednesday signals their first meeting on grass. Kohlschreiber is back on court after losing a quarterfinal match to Russia's Mikhail Youzhny in Halle. The 29-year-old German, set to contest his second AEGON International, is bidding for his 20th victory of the season. Stepanek defeated Australia's Marinko Matosevic in the opening round, 6-3, 6-2.