Bank Holiday

It is Whit Monday today, no longer celebrated in the U.K. but it is a bank holiday there anyway, the so-called Spring Holiday, the last Monday in May. This means a lot of low level racing, with flat racing at Carlisle, Leicester, Redcar and Windsor and jumping from Cartmel and this evening in Ireland at Ballinrobe.

The best race of the day is the Zetland Gold Cup, a ten furlongs handicap at 16.55 CET at Redcar in which all 9 runners have some sort of a chance. We note course specialist Silvery Moon (Tim Easterby/ David Allan), who was third last year - but is not related to the paint horse of the same name trained by Mario Hofer. However preference is for the two top-weights, tough performers who. are trained by Mark Johnston- Fire Fighting (Paul Mulrennan) and Master of Finance (Adrian Nicholls). The latter was runner-up in a hot handicap at York last time, but on the whole we prefer the former, who has been running in better races and will like the fast ground.

Ryan Moore had rather a mixed meeting at the Curragh over the weekend - he won the Irish 2,000 Guineas on Saturday and also the first 2 races yesterday, but he was also beaten on several hot favourites. Today he is to be found in the rather humbler surroundings of Leicester and we certainly expect him to win the 1 1/2 mile race for 3yo maiden fillies at 17.55 on Sir Michael Stoute´s Yarrow, a Sea The Stars filly who should be suited by this step up in distance, and he also has good chances of winning the handicaps at 16.15 and 16.50 on John Jenkins´ Pretty Bubbles and Charlie Hills´ Magical Memory respectively.

Betting forecast:
1. Race: Little Lotte - Crombay - La Asomada
2. Race: Lightning Spree - The Dream Fast - Secret Glance
3. Race: Sov - Moonlight Venture - Eutropius
4. Race: Master Of Finance - Yeager - Fire Fighting
5. Race: Bold Captain - Saltarello - Kyrenia Castle
6. Race: Penny Royale - Landing Night - Elusive Epona
7. Race: Crakehall Lad - Midnight Warrior - Bowdler`S Magic