5 meetings today

Today´s N.H. meeting at Perth has been abandoned as the track is still waterlogged, but there should be no problems with the 5 flat meetings, although the cards look weak - especially at the 2 afternoon fixtures. At Haydock, the 6 furlongs handicap at 16.50 CET is the best betting race, but looks very open. Best Trip (Brian Ellison/ Barry McHugh) is much improved since moving to Ellison and has won his last 3 races; he is still on a nice mark, but the opposition here looks tougher. The lightly-raced Magic Secret (Jeremy Gask/ Raul da Silva) and Hills of Dakota (David Barron/ Graham Gibbons) both look dangerous, while Emiratesdotcom (Milton Btadley/ Richard Kingscote), although more exposed, is consistent and could run into the money at a decent price.

The best race at Yarmouth is the 9 furlongs handicap for 3yo´s at 17.10 with runners from some of the top stables. Strada Facendo (Luca Cumani/ Kieren Fallon) ran a good race last time at Haydock, and is the likely favourite, but he is still a maiden, as are Disposition (John Gosden/ Robert Havlin) and Strident Force (Sir Michael Stoute/ Ted Durcan); these are all well-bred types who are capable of winning races at some stage, but for now we prefer one who has already shown winning form - Touch Gold (Sir Henry Ccil/ Tom Queally), who won a Newmarket maiden last time in good style.

The evening cards are slightly stronger. At Epsom the 6 furlongs handicap at 20.10 looks really hot and the field includes 3 CD specialists - top-weight Swiss Cross (Phil McEntee/ David Probert), Baldemar (Richard Fahey/ Shane B.Kelly) and bottom-weight Mac Gille Eion (Jeff Gallagher/ Neil Callan), who won this race last year and in 2009. Sprints at this track are always tricky, but we shall take a chance with Sohraab (Hughie Morrison/ Darryll Holland), a bit unlucky on his last two starts but very dangerous if he gets the run of the race.

At Newbury,the 7 furlongs conditions race at 20.25 has attracted some runners on the verge of listed class. Godolphin´s Australian-bred Scarf (Saeed bin Suroor/ Silvestre de Sousa) was a close 7th of 28 in the Wokingham after racing on the wrong side, while Dimension (James Fanshawe/ William Buick) actually started favourite for the Royal Hunt Cup and was not disgraced in 8th (of 30!). However the one to beat is the 3yo Bronterre Richard Hannon/ Richard Hughes), who won his first 2 races last year and then finished 4th in the Dewhurst. He has not run since finishing well beaten in the 2,000 Guineas, but a repetition of his 2yo form would seem him in the winners circle here.

The older horses running in ther Irish meeting at Leopardstown this evening are nothing special, but the two races for 2yo´s over 7 furlongs could well reveal some stars of the future, and Aidan O´Brien runs four very well-bred debutants - Flying the Flag (Joseph O´Brien) and The Vatican (Colm O`Donoghue) at 19.30 and Il Palazzo (Colm O´Donoghue) and Snow Queen (Joseph O´Brien) in the filllies race half an hour later. These are not races to bet on - we don´t suppose the trainer himself knows which are his main hopes here - but should definitely be watched for future clues.