5 poor meetings today

The weather remains very unsettled and the going at Chepstow today will be very heavy, although the track has passed an inspection . However there are bound to be non-runners and small fields as a result. Frankly we would leave this meeting alone, although Miss Exhibitionist (Alan King/ Fergus Sweeney) could be worth a bet in the 10 furlongs handicap at 15.30 CET. This is a very weak race, with 4 of the 7 runners trained by Bernard Llewellyn, and Alan King, better known as a jumps trainer, has a good strike rate with his runners on the flat. The card is no better on the all-weather this afternoon at Wolverhampton. Tom Dascombe´ s stable is now in good form and can win the 3yo handicap over 5 furlongs at 15.45 with top-weight Electric Qatar (Richard Kingscote), an easy winner ovetr this CD last week and now carrying a 6 lbs penalty. In theory, Grey Seal (James Fanshawe/ Hayley Turner) should win the 8 1/2 furlongs handicap at 17.45. She was fourth in a hot Kempton maiden last time whose form has worked out very well and looks thrown in with this weight.

The best races at Windsor this evening are the 3yo handicaps over 6 furlongs at 20.10 and over a mile half an hour later. In both cases we expect the top and bottom weghts to dominate, in the former race Sir Pedro (Charlie and Michael Hills), winner of his only start, and Fast Finian (Paul d´Arcy/Jim Crowley), a kempton winner last time, and in the latter event Dellbuoy (Paul Phelan/ Ian Mongan), winner of both his starts this season, and Strident Force (Sir Michael Stoute/ Ryan Moore).

Main event at Thirsk this evening is the 5 furlongs conditions race at 21.50, unfortunately with only 4 runners. On all known form it can only be between oldtimer Borderlescott (Robin Bastiman/ Daniel Tudhope) and Magical Macey (David Barron/ Graham Gibbons). Borderlescott is now 10 and possibly not as good as he used to be, but he is still a power to be reckoned with in this grade and we expect him to win.

There is also jumping this evening at Kilbeggan in Ireland, with some big fields but nothing much in the way of quality racing.