Gloomy Monday

After the weekend fireworks, its back to earth with a bump today, with 3 moderate flat meetings in the U.K. and a mixed meeting at Roscommon in Ireland. Easily the best race in the U.K today is the 6 furlongs handicap at 17.,40 CET at Hamilton with 14 runnersd and lookimng very open, with severalö Trainers doubly represented. Tim Easterby runs likely favourite Gran Canaria Queen ( David Allan), who has won 4 of her 5 races this season, including this CD, but has risen quite a bit in the ratings, as well as The Nifty Fox (Phillip Makin), who however looks better at 5 furlongs. So does Secret Advice (Keith Dalgleish/ Joe Fanning) and the stable´s other runner, the very consistent Circuitous (Tom Eaves) can be preferred. Top-weight Chester Aristocrat (Eric Alston/ Jason Hart) won nicely over CD in May but no longer looks well handicapped, so we shall take a chance on oldtimer Beckermet (Ruth Carr/ James Sullivan). The 11yo has 13 wins and 46 places to his credit and can possibly improv e that record today.

The cards at Brighton andf Ffos Las are very poor and some very small fields as well means that they are not at all punter-friendly. Richard Hughes has some promising rides at the former track and can land a double with Amnesia at 16.00 and La Tinta Bay half an hour later. James Doyle won a Group Two for his new boss Khaled Abdullah on Saturday and rounded off a good weekend by winning a Group One in Ireland; he can win at Ffos Las on Abdullah´s Abated (Roger Charlton) at 17.50. Ryan Moore is also riding at the Welsh track and partners the hottest favourite of the day, Sir Michael Stoute´s Bohemian Dance, at 18.20.

Jazz Girl (Andy Oliver/ Connor King), who has top-weight in the fillies handicap at 18.45, looks the best bet at Roscommon; she has a small penalty for winning on Thursday and has the hottest aporentice of the moment in the saddle.