Ryan Moore: Thank God for Turkey this weekend

The Grand Bazaar of Istanbul
Ryan Moore despairs at an uninspiring UK racing card this weekend before explaining why the pick of the action is in Istanbul. Keep an eye on an in form runner that looks a bit like a pit pony...
Thank god that Turkey races to the rescue - and Germany too tomorrow, with the Group 1 Grosser Preis Von Baden - on what must be one of the poorest weekends of European racing of the year.
I think this meeting used to clash with the Moulin, so fair play to someone for rescheduling.
But it highlights once again the fact that someone needs to grab hold of our domestic fixture list and ensure our high-class cards are spaced out, wherever possible. Last weekend we had real good Group-race cards at York, Newmarket, Goodwood and Windsor on Saturday.
And, with all due respect, this weekend doesn't really set the pulse racing.
But the racing in Istanbul this weekend certainly has a touch of quality about it, and I think it used to house the richest 1m race in Europe at one point.
Zazou looks the clear form pick in the Anatolia Trophy on Saturday. This race is run on the Polytrack and it was on this surface that he beat Cirrus Des Aigles over 1m2f at Chantilly in March. He went on to finish fifth in the Dubai World Cup and should find life easier here than the Group 1 company he has been keeping recently.
He looks like a pit pony, and as if he should be pulling coal around a mine, but he is stocky and pretty classy with it.
Hunter's Light looked impressive in winning at Haydock last time. That probably wasn't the strongest of races but he looks the biggest danger to Zazou. I rode Marcret to win a Group 3 at Chester in May but he has not really fired since and his overall form leaves him with a fair bit to find with the front two of they are on song.
In the Istanbul Trophy on Saturday, Beatrice Aurora probably sets the standard on her best form, and that is probably when I rode her to finish third in the Earl of Sefton or her fifth in the Windsor Forest. But she needs to bounce back from a poor run at Ascot last time. The German filly Survey is rated better than she showed in the Oak Tree at Goodwood last time, and Rhythm Of Light and Arsaadi probably don't have too much to find with Beatrice Aurora.
And it wouldn't be the biggest surprise if one of the Turkish horses was up to winning this either. I don't know anything about them but this is their big weekend and it would only take a 110-rated horse or so to win this on their home turf.
Godolphin's Retrieve, a good fourth at Goodwood, and Flamingo Fantasy, fifth to me on Joshua Tree at Deauville last time, are the only horses I have heard of in the Bosphorus Cup on Sunday, so I can't shed too much light on that race. But I would have thought Master Of Hounds will run a big race in the Topkapi Trophy on the same day.
He has joined William, from Mike de Kock, since his last run when eighth in the Dubai World Cup, and that and his earlier form in Meydan - notably his Group 1 Jebel Hatta win - makes him the best horse in this race. I also hear that the horse has been going well.
And another positive to this horse's chance is that he is versatile. He can go from the front or take a lead, and that is important when you have foreign horses and jockeys in the race and you are not sure how the race and pace is going to pan out.
Van Ellis, pulled out of the Betfair Celebration mile last weekend, is improving fast and looks the big threat.