May is the Classic month for racing fans. Scarcely a day will go by without an important three-year-old race being run somewhere in Europe.
First on the agenda is the Sagitta Guineas Festival at Newmarket, where two age-old one-mile races first run in the early years of the 19th Century will command all the attention.
The Sir Michael Stoute-trained Petrushka is hot favourite for the 1000 Guineas on May 7 after her impressive recent Nell Gwyn Stakes win.
But the 2000 Guineas 24 hours earlier is wide open after winter favourite Distant Music's reappearance defeat, with Giant's Causeway, Barathea Guest and Richard Hannon's Cape Town and Umistim among a host of serious contenders.
Three-year-olds get further chances to bid for the miler's crown in the French 1000 Guineas and 2000 Guineas on May 14, the Irish equivalents (May 27 7 28) and the German versions (May 7 & 14).
But trials for the middle-distance Classics will be in centre stage, as punters look for winners at a series of midweek meetings which provide some of the best racing of the whole year.
Derby clues should be on offer in the JWE Telecom Dante Stakes at York (May 17), Gartner Derby Trial at Lingfield (May 13), Victor Chandler Chester Vase (May 9) and Compass UK Leisure Predominate Stakes at Goodwood (May 23).
Races to watch with an eye to the Oaks include the Tattersalls Musidora Stakes at York (May 16), Victor Chandler Oaks Trial at Lingfield (May 13) and Victor Chandler Lupe Stakes at Goodwood (May 24).
Meanwhile Sheikh Mohammed's Godolphin team are focusing on the US Classics in the first part of the month, with China Visit and Chief Seattle aimed at the Kentucky Derby on May 6.
Biggest betting races of the month will include the Sodexho Victoria Cup at Ascot and the Tote Chester Cup, plus the Crowther Homes Swinton Handicap Hurdle at Haydock Park - the last big jumps race in Britain before the summer.
National Hunt enthusiasts should also enjoy Ireland's four-day Punchestown Festival, which starts on May 2.
Those reaching notable landmarks include Steve Cauthen - the only jockey to win both the Derby and Kentucky Derby - who is 40 on May 1, and Classic-winning trainer Fulke Johnson Houghton whose 60th birthday is on May 9.
May 9 also marks the 25th anniversary of the first winner saddled by Martin Pipe, who has since gone on to become the winning-most trainer in British racing history.
