lots of handicaps

no black type races at any of today´s 6 meetings, which are all dominated by handicaps, and mainly at a very low level. It is not very often that Brighton stages the most valuable races of the day, but that is the case, with the Sussex seaside town featuring the Brighton Mile Challenge at 16.50 CET. This looks wide open, but we will take a chance on Toga Tiger (Jeremy Gask/ Fergus Sweeney) who won 3 races here last summer. He also won 3 races on the all-weather during the winter, so is no longer particularly well handicapped, but a return to the coast could inspire him to win again. The 7 furlongs handicap for fillies half an hour later is another decent race, in which Floating Along (William Haggas/ Richard Hughes), Al Manaal (Saeed bin Suroor/ Silvestre de Sousa) and Finesse (Ralph Beckett/ Jim Crowley) renew rivalry after taking the first 3 places in a similar race at Warwick a month ago. At these weights, there should be nothing much between them, but we give slight prefe rence to the Godolphin runner, who is lightly-raced and already a winner over this CD.
At Pontefract, the 1 1/2 mile handicap at 16.30 is the main event and another tricky race. Northside Prince (Alan Swinbank/ Shane Kelly) has not won for 3 years, but is coming down in the weights and usually runs well at this track; we make him an interesting each-way shot.
At Newcastle, Dream Walker (Brian Ellison/ Jacob Butterfield) will be a strong favourite ovet 7 furlongs at 16.10; he has won both his starts since moving to this stable, including with this young apprentice up, and goes well on this soft ground. He won´t pay much, but looks a good thing to complete the hat-trick.
Frankie Dettori is back in form and travels to Yarmouth this evening for just two rides, including John O´Shea´s Swendab at 20.20; he has a 6 lbs penalty for winning at Newbury on Sunday with Frankie up, but can go in again; Sleepy Blue Ocean (John Balding( Michael Murphy) won 3 races in July, all over this trip of 5 furlongs and all on firm going, and looks the obvious danger.
There could be some useful performers in the 3yo mile handicap at 21.30 on Kempton´s all-weather card, where all 7 runners have good recent form to their credit; our choice is the lightly-raced Quest for More (Roger Charlton/ James Doyle).
In Ireland, the grandly-named Connacht Oaks at 20.10 at Sligo is the main event, but it is just an ordinary fillies handicap over 1 1/2 miles. 16yo Connor King rode 4 winners yesterday at Cork and partners top-weight Strandfield Lady, who is going for a hat-trick, but at these weights we prefer bottom-weight Keeping (Ger Lyons/ Ian Brennan), who is 4 lbs better off for half a length.

Betting forecast Newcastle:
1. Race: Atlantic Affair - Heskin - Sakhalin Star
2. Race: Attention Seaker - Harvey`S Hope - Moheebb
3. Race: Dream Walker - Strong Man - My Single Malt
4. Race: Burren View Lady - Captain Royale - Alluring Star
5. Race: Foxy Clarets - Thornaby Princess - Shyron
6. Race: Scentpastparadise - Ichimoku - Balinka
7. Race: Save The Bees - Ptolomeos - Amazing Blue Sky
8. Race: Bygones For Coins - Elizabeth Coffee - Diddy Eric