With the Cheltenham Festival out of the way the eyes of the horse racing world turn to the Flat season which starts in earnest at Doncaster this Saturday. Last season may have turned out to be a bit of a washout in patches thanks to the summer floods, but there was still plenty to savour and even more to look forward to this term. Here is a brief look at what could be the highlights of this season on the flat.

The battle lines between the Maktoum family and Coolmore have been firmly drawn for quite some time and both are geared up for the next round of this particular heavyweight contest.

And for once it is the Dubai royal family who look to hold the upper hand, with no less than the leading five contenders for the Stan James 2000 Guineas in their camp.

New Approach, Raven's Pass, Fast Company, Ibn Khaldun and Rio de la Plata all fall under their remit in one way or another so Classic domination must surely be top of their thoughts.

However, Aidan O'Brien has his own wealth of talent to draw upon and with the likes of top juvenile filly Listen, along with any amount of progressive three-year-olds, the fight is far from over.

A showdown between the old enemies in the Derby and Oaks is certain to arouse the interest of any casual racing fan let alone dedicated followers of the sport.

The two races produced fantastic stories 12 months ago as Frankie Dettori bagged his first Derby courtesy of the brilliant Authorized, while Henry Cecil was virtually moved to tears after the rousing reception afforded to him following Light Shift's heroics in the Oaks.

O'Brien and punters alike must be licking their lips at the prospect of Peeping Fawn's return to the track after the filly bagged no less than four Group Ones for the team last term.

With stable stalwart Dylan Thomas now happily ensconced at stud, it will be up to Peeping Fawn as well as top stayers Septimus and Yeats to keep the flag flying for Coolmore's older legion.

The latter feels a particular affinity for Ascot having won two Gold Cups and a return to the Royal meeting would be on the cards for him.

The June fixture is annual parade of fantastic horseflesh and outrageous outfits with the likes of the St James's Palace Stakes, Coronation Stakes and Golden Jubilee punctuating the champagne top-ups in the Royal enclosure.

Goodwood is a similar set-up with Pimms on the lawn and picnics in the car park a certain tradition, while all manner of alcoholic beverages are sure to be consumed at York's Ebor meeting in August.

Extended to a four-day fixture this year, the Knavesmire provides a perfect mix of class and competition with the Juddmonte International sitting easily aside the ultra-competitive Ebor handicap.

Flat seasons are marked by the frenetic pace and races such as the Coral-Eclipse, King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes, St Leger and Champion Stakes only serve to illustrate the juggernaut fixture list which also sees evening racing virtually every day throughout the summer months.

However, autumn provides opportunities for horses to gain legendary status with the Parisian chic of Longchamp the venue for the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe while the two-day Breeders' Cup meeting often marks the end of an arduous campaign.

Whatever your fancy is from a five-furlong seller at Catterick on a wet Monday evening to the Golden Jubilee on a blazing summer Saturday at Ascot, you can find all the odds by following the link on Shrewsweb to our betting partner bet365.com.

So to this Saturday and the season curtain-raiser, the Lincoln, this returns to its rightful home at Doncaster following the redevelopment at the Yorkshire track. While Redcar and Newcastle did perfectly good jobs, the ground at both those tracks can get very deep and testing, and that is unlikely to be the case at the new Doncaster.

The three who stand out in this race for me, bearing in mind more rain is forecast are Mutajarred, Zaahid and Vitznau, all of whom have good form on soft ground.

This Sunday see's the Formula One circus move on to Malaysia for round two at Sepang and it looks hard to oppose last weeks dominant winner Lewis Hamilton at 11/8.

The 3rd and final deciding test between New Zealand and England commences Friday evening at McLean Park, Napier. The draw is 44/53 with England 7/4 and the hosts a very generous 9/2.

I will wrap up with football this week and for those of you who love the Premiership Sunday will be like Christmas and your birthday all in one day.

First up at 1.00pm is Liverpool against Manchester United with the current league leaders 11/10, the draw 23/10 and the home side 10/3. At 4pm the attention shifts to the nation's capital with Chelsea, 5/4 hosting Arsenal 5/2 with the draw at 9/4.

Finally the real big game of the weekend has the Town at 2/1 with Dagenham and Redbridge at 11/10 and the draw 12/5.

Don't forget, whatever you fancy a punt on you can find all the odds by following the link on to ShrewsBet.

Good Luck from Shrewsweb's man on the rail