Perth meeting continues

Plenty of racing today, with 6 meetings, but with so much on, there are inevitably some small fields, and 4 of the 7 races at Beverley have 6 runners or less, including the two main events. Mark Johnston and Paul Hanagan are the top trainer and jockey here and they team up with Muteela in the 7 furlongs conditions race for 3yo´ s at 16.00 CET. The well-bred filly won her only race so far, and although that was only in a 3-way photo and the form is nothing special, she looks well in here. However the other filly in the field, Illuminating Dream (David Brown/ Harry Bentley) could be a big danger; she was a CD winner last year and this year ran without making much show in the two UAEfillies classics at Meydan - obviously this is much easier.

The main event at Warwick is also a conditions race, this time for older horses over 6 furlongs at 16.10. Music Master (Henry Candy/ Dane O´Neill) is the obvious candidate here after running-up in a well contested Group Three at Ascot when last seen in October; however the Godolphin filly Mar Mar (Saeed bin Suroor/ Silvestre de Sousa) could be a problem in receipt of 9 lbs. There is also flat racing this evening, at a low level, at Brighton and Newcastle.

Perth´s 3 day April meeting goes into ist second session today with some quite competitive handicaps and runners from all over the U.K. and also Ireland. The 2 1/2 mile handicap chase at 17.20 is in our view the best race of the day and looks wide open. Quincy des Pictons (Alan Jones/ Sam Twiston-Davies) won it last year and clearly has good prospects of doubling up with only 2 lbs more. CD specialist Scotch Warrior (Mike Smith/ Peter Buchanan) made an excellent comeback after 7 months off to win at Ayr and is another one for the short list, but our main fancy is top weight Conquisto (Steve Gollings/ Richard Johnson). The handicapper has done him no favours, but his performance when winning the Old Roan Chase last October is by far the best form on offer here, and if he can repeat that today he should be able to concede weight all round.

There is also a mixed meeting in Ireland, with 4 flat races followed by 3 over hurdles at Tipperary. Thge most interesting event is the opening 2yo maiden at 18.00, where Aidan O´Brien introduces two very well-bred debutants. The Great War cost a mllion dollars as a yearling and is also the choice of the trainer´s son Joseph, so he is presumably the favourite here.