Listed fillies races at Bath, Pontefract

As usual, British racing on Sunday is totally upstaged by events elsewhere - in this case Deauville- but at least Bath and Pontefract, courses not usually known for high class racing, both stage listed races for fillies, which as so often have attracted quite large fields of runners looking for that all-elusive black type. However the quality in both races is moderate and below the standard of listed races at the top meetings.

If there is a star in either of these races, it can only be Beyond Desire (Michael Jarvis/ Neil Callan) in the 6 furlongs event at 16.40 CET at Pontefract. She has not run since finishing second in a Group Three in Ireland in early June, easily the best form on offer here, and has run well in all her 5 career starts so far, heavily backed on each occasion. She has the top rating here, but is also penalised, and should still be good enough to win. The main dangers are Vitoria (Bryan Smart/ Richard Mullen), very consistent last season and winner of her only start this, Dever Dream (William Haggas/ Michael Hills), winner of 4 of her 5 starts this year bur facing mich better opposition, and Flambeau (Henry Candy/ Dane O `Neill) who has done nothing wrong so far.

At Bath, the race is over a mile at 17.00. This looks quite open, with the two top-rated runners, the 4yo First City (David Simcock/ Shane Kelly) and the 3yo Carioca (Marco Botti/ Andrea Atzeni) not really convincing. We can oppose them with the lightly-raced Sajjhaa (Michael Jarvis/ Philip Robinson), Godolphin ´s Sweet Sonnet (Saeed bin Suroor/ Ted Durcan) and Dance East (Jeremy Noseda/ Darryll Holland). From the German point of view Kinky Afro (Stan Moore/ Liam Keniry) is also interesting; she ran two good races in Germany in the first part of the season, including a fifth place on the 1,000 Guineas. She is held by Dance East on her latest Goodwood form but could run well at a big price.