All-weather action at Lingfield, Wolverhampton and Dundalk

Three all-weather meetings, including the second fixture of 2009 at Dundalk in Ireland, where the best race is the valuable handicap over 1 mile 3 furlongs at 22.00 CET. With a maximum field of 14 runners and numerous course specialists, this is a very open affair. Green Tobasco (Mike O´Brien/ Johnny Murtagh) has an excellent record here and finished a good third to the smart Al Eile three weeks ago. On the same evening, Dermot Weld´s Bobs Pride (Pat Smullen) made all the running to beat Cochlear (Tommy Stack/ Wayne Lordan) by 1 1/2 lengths, with more of these runners further back. At the revised weights there should be little in it now. The most competitive race this afternoon at Lingfield is the 6 furlongs handicap at 16.40. 8 runners, all with a chance, and the interesting one is lightly-raced Trade Counter (Willie Muir/ Shane Kelly), a narrow winner of a CD maiden on only his second start and now making his handicap debut under bottom weight. The 10 furlongs handicap at 17.15 could also go to the bottom weight, Michael Wigham´s Old Romney (Richard Hughes), who has been runner-up three times running and looked a bit unlucky last time out over this CD. At Wolverhampton this evening, thre best event is also a sprint handicap, this time over 5 furlongs at 21.50. Bahamian Lad (Reg Hollinshead/ Graham Gibbons) has won his last two races, both over 6 furlongs here, and Princess Valerina (Derek Haydn Jones/ Tom Queally), runner-up last time, now reopposes on one pound better terms for a neck. Incomparable (Alan McCabe/ Robert Winston) was a CD winner here on his penultimate start and could be the answer to a tricky race.