8 meetings today

Once again, plenty of racing but mainly at a low level. However there is one exception, the Group Three Ballyroan Stakes at 20.05 CET at Leopardstown´s evening meeting. Only 5 runners here however, as Dermot Weld´s Profound Beauty (Pat Smullen) has scared off most of the opposition. The 6yo is being prepared for the Melbourne Cup, so this trip of 1 1/2 miles is on the sharp side, but she should still outclass thse opponents, who are headed by Aidan O´Brien´s two 3yo´s Awake the Dawn (Johnny Murtagh), having his first race for 11 months, and Snow Blizzard (Seamus Heffernan). The best race at Haydock this afternoon is the 3yo mile handicap at 16.40. Beauchamp Yorker (Henry Candy/ Dane O´Neill) is an interesting runner here. he won his only start, a decent Newbury maiden way back in October. Uphold(Barry Hills/ Robert Winston) is another very lightly raced colt and won his only start this season, while Secretive (Mark Johnston/ Joe Fanning) and Highland Knight (Andrew Balding/ F ranny Norton) must also be considered.

The cards at Yarmouth, Brighton, and Folkestone and Bath this evening are all very modest, even Sandown´s evening meeting is pretty low-key, as is Sligo´s all hurdles card in Ireland. Mervyn Torrens does well with his German-breds and possibly Macidoni (BJ Cooper) has a chance in the hurdles handicap at 20.15 at the last-named meeting, even though he has not run since March.