Pat Smullen and Wayne Lordan both moved onto the 20 mark for the season with a winner apiece at Dundalk last night and the pair once again have some good mounts to look forward to today, not least in the 1m6f handicap at 4.25. Lordan’s mount Ionisphere should certainly be in the thick of the action once again despite being raised 6lb for his recent victory over an extended 2m at Clonmel but Star Of Aragon is potentially very well-treated as he reverts to the level after a rewarding spell over hurdles, and the fact that trainer James Nash has gone to the trouble of booking former champion Smullen suggests he should be fit enough to do himself justice on his first outing since December.

Dermot Weld’s Voleuse De Coeurs could be another for Smullen in the 1m3f rated race at 3.15, the daughter of Teofilo making plenty of appeal despite official figures suggesting she has something to find with a few of her rivals. She indicated a good level of ability in a couple of outings as a juvenile last autumn and showed that she had trained on when runner-up to Ursa Major over the extended 1m2f trip at Dundalk on her seasonal bow last month. Today’s longer trip could suit even better.

With South South West a notable absentee, the 1m3f handicap at 3.50 takes on an even more open look and Smullen will be hopeful of adding to his tally aboard the unexposed Porterman. Trained by long-time ally Joanna Morgan, the gelded son of Barathea shaped with a deal of promise on his handicap bow at Leopardstown in March and is surely capable of better than his current rating of 47 suggests.

Willie Mullins and son Patrick are fancied to record a double in the day’s final two events, with Earls Quarter first up in the 2m maiden for qualified riders at 4.55. The son of Shantou was in the process of running a fine race when taking a tumble at the final flight in a valuable novice hurdle at Fairyhouse over Easter and should prove too strong for Blossom Gate if transferring that level of performance to this discipline. Chiltern Hills meanwhile looks the clear form pick in the concluding 2m mares bumper after a promising debut fourth behind stable-companion Glens Melody at the Punchestown Festival.

Selections
2.10 Madeira Girl (3-1, general)
2.40 Sadlers Mark (10-1, sportingbet)
3.15 Voleuse De Coeurs (19-10, sportingbet)
3.50 Porterman (9-1, Boylesports)
4.25 Star Of Aragon (100-30, sportingbet)
4.55 Earls Quarter (5-4, Stan James)
5.30 Chiltern Hills (7-4, Stan James)

Tonight’s two semi-finals are intriguing to say the least and despite being double handed in the opening heat, Dolores is no certainty to win it. For many, Razldazl Jayfkay has been the story of the Derby so far and while he hasn’t performed anything like his second round track record performance in the last two rounds, he was pretty impressive in winning his quarter-final on Tuesday. Expectedly, his semi-final is tougher tonight and there’s every chance that he won’t lead around the first bends this time. If that is the case, then he could have a major battle on his paws.

Razldazl Rioga is the likely leader early on and what impressed me most with his quarter-final victory was the pace he showed from halfway. He’s got his ideal trap one box and he’s the one likely to put it up to the hot favourite. It’s near impossible to fancy Judicial Ruling, given the uncertainty of his participation, so the other major player here must be Coolavanny Bert, which looks the only dog capable of preventing an Irish success this year. He may struggle to find rooom around the opening bends tonight however and that could be costly to his chances. With early pace being so crucial tonight, Razldazl Rioga is taken to beat his kennel companion
Jayfkay with Coolavanny Bert completing the places.

The second semi-final is nearly as tricky as the first but the one thing it has in common with the race previous is that it’s likely to produce an Irish winner. What happened to Razldazl Bugatti when leading in his his quarter-final is anybody’s guess so that must be a worry for his backers. Although Dolores Ruth is adamant that a stumble was the reason for his lacklustre finish.

Whatever the reason was, Droopys Jet must have a wonderful chance of succeeding here. Having taken his time to get to grips with the thrills and spills of the English Derby, Frazer Black’s canine exploded onto the Derby scene on quarter-final night. And I expect him to continue that progression with another win here. Taylors Sky is the obvious threat and his quarter-final performances showed that he’s improving with every run too. And while Razldazl Bugatti may have tired on his last run, his savage early pace should see him qualify.

On the Shelbourne Park front tonight, the final of the Larry Dunne Open 525 is the highlight where Droopys Cain and Sparta Maestro lock horns again. And the big news this morning is that Mill Bling Bling does take his chance after looking a doubtful runner yesterday. But he’s unlikely to figure at the business end and I expect Sparta Maestro to topple the hot favourite. And the Sky Sports cameras will also be at Tralee tonight for the final of the Lee Strand 550, where the exciting Money Talks will take plenty of beating here. In fact, he could very well lead home a Paul Hennessy 1-2 with Buddy Minor looking the main threat.

RECOMMENDATIONS
Wimbledon Bets
8.35 Razldazl Rioga (NB) (5-1, general)
8.50 Droopys Jet (NAP) (7-2, general)

Shelbourne Bets
8.46 Business Diva
9.00 Climb A Tree
9.30 Tyrur Sycamore
9.45 Olympic Stunner
10.00 Sparta Maestro
10.15 She’s A Tornado
10.30 Tyrur Djokovic

Tralee Bets
9.40 Money Talks (5-4, general)

ALREADY RECOMMENDED (ENGLISH GREYHOUND DERBY)
1pt ew Razldazl Rioga (25-1, Bet365)
1pt ew Razldazl Bugatti (28-1, Bet365)

Newbury 2.00: IBICENCO (9-4, general)
Likely favourite Nehaam is a worthy favourite and deserves to win a race at Listed level, but he is vulnerable to a rival with a bit more class and might find the German-import Ibicenco too strong.

This four-year-old son of Shirocco makes his British debut for Luca Cumani today and deserves the nod on the basis of some strong form on the continent last season. The pick of those efforts include a third to the useful Meandre in a fast time at Longchamp and a close second to Campanologist at Cologne.

The form of those two runs are arguably slightly ahead of his main rival’s form and with the possibility that Cumani could have eked out more improvement, he gets the nod.

Newbury 3.05: THOMAS CHIPPENDALE: (9-4, general)
I fairness, Thomas Chippendale does not represent much value in what is a competitive handicap, but he appears to be held in pretty high regard at Warren Place and could be reasonably treated here off 86 on his handicap debut.

A well related colt, Thomas needed the run on his first start last season but improved markedly next time, travelling sweetly through the race in a Leicester maiden and comfortably picking off his rivals in the closing stages.

The runner-up Went The Day Well has boosted the form with a fine effort in the recent Kentucky Derby and hence that is probably why, the son of Dansili is such a strong fancy today. The question is whether there will be substance to the hype, but the big race entries in the Derby and King Edward bode well and he could make a winning return.

Newmarket 3.55: MOUNT ATHOS (3-1, general); HARLESTONE TIMES (EW 20-1, Stan James)
Mount Athos has ran numerous good races in top handicaps and deserves to get his head in front in one of these. Trained in Ireland last season, he performed quite well for David Wachman but perhaps in view of the fact that he travelled across the Irish Sea for most of his races, it is no surprise to see him back trained in the UK this season, having joined Luca Cumani in April.

He was unlucky on occasion last season, having suffered from poor draws in the Chester Cup and also the Old Newton Cup at Haydock, but he ran with distinction to be placed in both contests. In his final outing in the Cesarewitch, he travelled beautifully for a long way but just failed to fully see out the distance.

Today’s 14f should be ideal and he won first time out last year at Dundalk. The fact that he is not getting much respite from the handicapper is a concern, but he has been competing I slightly tougher races and maybe today things can fall into place for him.

Harlestone Times is a big price judged on the pick of his 2011 form. His form tapered off slightly towards the latter stages of last season, but encouragingly from today’s perspective, he produced some of his better runs in early summer.

John Dunlop’s gelding was second in a competitive Epsom handicap behind Sunny Game and was a ready winner a couple of weeks later at Goodwood, beating subsequent Royal Ascot winner, Beachfire in the process.

Things did not pan out ideally for him later on in the season but he competed in top handicaps and could have frame possibilities if ready to fire today.

Doncaster 8.20: CAPE CLASSIC (2-1, general)
Cape Classic produced two pretty promising efforts towards the back-end of 2011 and looks like a horse with more to offer this season. He produced a power packed finished when fourth to Murura at Newmarket and probably bumped into a useful rival when beaten by Dimension at Ascot subsequently.

A strongly run six furlongs should be ideal and the booking of Ryan Moore-who has a 35 per cent strike-rate for William Haggas-catches the eye.

Selections.
Newbury 2.00: Ibicenco (9-4); 3.05: Thomas Chippendale (9-4)
Newmarket 3.55: Mount Athos (11-2) and Harlestone Times (EW 20-1)
Doncaster 8.20: Cape Classic (10-3)

Newbury 2.30: BERTIEWHITTLE (9/2 general)
Having appeared something of a professional loser in his early days, finishing placed in seven consecutive races before finally winning his first race last season, Bertiewhittle has now developed into a sprinter of immense promise.

His win in a valuable 3yo handicap at Newmarket last August marked him down as an ideal type for the big sprint handicaps during the summer – a strong travelling horse that stays 6f very well. He can work his way into contention for those sort of prizes by beating this big field this afternoon.

His reappearance at Newmarket can be forgotten as he was badly hampered just as he was making his finishing effort. David Barron sends the gelding all the way down from his North Yorkshire base and he will be all the fitter for that recent run.

Thirsk 4.40: KASHGAR (5-1, general)
Big things are clearly expected of Kashgar, a colt who held an entry in the Epsom Derby until recently. Things have not gone according to plan so far, but with the Michael Bell yard coming into form, it could be third time lucky here.

Not given a hard time when a promising third at Yarmouth on his debut last month, he was sent off a warm favourite for a heavy ground maiden at Pontefract last time out. However having got worked up beforehand, he appeared to hit his head on leaving the stalls and ran no sort of race, being eased well before the finish.

Presumably he has suffered no lasting effects from that experience as he makes quite a quick reappearance here but he is bred for stamina, so this step up to 12f will suit. He could turn out to be overpriced as he surely must be better than what he showed at Pontefract as long as his temperament holds.

Newbury 5.50: QANNAAS (11-1 BetVictor EW)
Charlie Hills’ colt is clearly held in high regard as he has started a short price for all three races he has contested to date. However his over-exuberance has tended to get the better of him so far, so hopefully with the experience of those runs behind him he can perform more like what he evidently shows on the home gallops this afternoon.

Too free when a beaten favourite on debut at Warwick, his best run to date came at Newmarket at the end of last season when a close second. Expected to build on that at the same track last month, he got loose before the start which surely hindered his chance in the race – he was only seventh.

I would expect him to be more laid back today, and he might know too much for several fancied but less experienced rivals.

Uttoxeter 5.55: VICTOR LEUDORUM (4/1, Boylesports, William Hill, Bluesq, 888sport)
Charlie Mann’s charge has been very impressive in winning his last two hurdle races and can defy a double penalty to land the hat-trick this evening.

He easily dismissed Paul Nicholls’ useful Polisky at Wincanton last month, and promising conditional Gavin Sheehan’s 7lb claim means he only has to concede 7lbs to his rivals. His two chief rivals today are essentially chasers trying to nick a prize over the smaller obstacles, but Victor Leudorum could simply have too much pace for them on his favoured quick ground.

The Mann yard is in as good form as it has been for a while with three winners and two seconds from their last eight runners.

Minor Football

Both Dublin and Kildare start as prohibitively short priced favourites in the Leinster minor chammpionship this afternoon. Dublin won the Leinster minor league very well, but still will have taken plenty of lessons from a tough final battle with Meath and their round robin draw with Offaly. They look to be going well again, even though it’s an almost entirely new team with only a small handful of players from the 2011 squad still eligible. Longford probably don’t have the players to cause an upset here, but Louth might against an equally well fancied Kildare side.

Louth have struggled at minor level for a long time but they have shown some decent form so far this year and their second half performance against Westmeath looks even better now that the midlanders have gone on to beat Carlow in the qualifiers. Kildare are a very strong team and the Athy pair of David Hyland and Niall Kelly at 6 and 11 respectively are hugely impressive young players, but no group of teenagers can be trusted to play to form all the time, while the large squad in Kildare means that they might be less sure of their best team than some other sides. Boylesports are 9/2 about a Louth win here and that’s enough to justify a small, speculative bet.

Leinster SHC

At the start of the year, punters would have struggled to separate Carlow and Westmeath. Equally, it would have been the view that there was little to call between Laois and Antrim. Those who say that the league is irrelevant need only to look at the betting for today’s games to see that the bookmakers still attach plenty of significance to Spring hurling. Carlow and Antrim went well and so are well fancied, while Laois and Westmeath are very easy to lay.

Antrim should beat Westmath and their price is probably correct, but it’s possible that the market is overestimating the chance of an upset in Dr Cullen Park. Carlow manager Kevin Ryan has come out and claimed that he’s not getting the effort from his players since they won the league – on the one hand there is probably some degree of exaggeration here for the sake of effect, but it’s still not a good sign. Carlow would need to be firing on all cylinders to beat Laois here and it’s odd that there is a disconnect between the match and handicap prices in this fixture – nowhere more than at Ladbrokes, where they are 4/6 about a Laois win and 8/11 Laois minus one on their handicap betting market.

Galway SHC

The relegation battles start this weekend and one of the most intriguing fixtures will be the meeting of Carnmore and Liam Mellows at Athenry tomorrow. It’s unusual in this say and age for teams to be eliminated from a Senior Championship by mid-May, but that’s exactly the situation that these two clubs find themselves in, and picking themselves up to save their senior status is a very different challenge to trying to win a title. Carnmore are a small, close knit club whereas Liam Mellows are a city team, with a bigger pick but perhaps lacking the same solidarity. Neither club has shown any form so far this year – they wouldn’t be in this mess if they had – but if Carnmore can harness the sense of hurt they would have felt after losing to Padraig Pearses by a point, they could be the better betting option here.

Offaly SFC

Needless to say this columnist was always going throw a quick shout to the Offaly championship, where the big event will be the double header in O’Connor Park tomorrow afternoon. The second leg of this double header involves champions Edenderry taking on Tullamore and while Tullamore were very disappointing last year, they’ve always gone well under the guidance of former player Phil O’Reilly, who once again takes charge of his home town. Edenderry’s championship run last year centred around some great play from Richie Dalton and Seán Pender, neither of whom have hit form yet this year. In contrast, Tullamore’s younger players like Michael Brazil, John Moloney and Declan Hogan are all moving well. Boylesports lead the market at 13/10 and should get some interest at that level.

Recommendations

Leinster MFC: Louth to beat Kildare @ 9/2 (Boylesports)

Leinster SHC: Laois to beat Carlow @ 4/6 (Ladbrokes)

Galway SHC: Carnmore to beat Liam Mellows @ 11/8 (Powers)

Offaly SFC: Tullamore to beat Edenderry @ 13/10 (Boylesports)

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINAL
Bayern Munich v Chelsea, 7.45pm
The fact that Munich are playing this game on their own ground has been the matter of some debate, but as well as being a big advantage for the German giants, it may also have its downsides with overwhelming pressure too.

I think that Chelsea will not regard this as a big problem. There will be plenty of fans of their own in the ground and having beaten Barcelona, they will feel nothing is beyond them. And I can see them lifting the trophy when it is all finished.

You can get Chelsea at 15-4 with BetVictor, the 90-minute draw at 16-5 with Skybet and Boylesports, while the Germans are a general 4-5 to win in normal time. I think that the Blues can nick the win here, though I think a little investment on each side to win on penalties is a good safety net. Bayern are 12-1 with several firms, while Chelsea can be had at 14-1 with Ladbrokes and bet365.

As for the first scorer, Didier Drogba at 9-1 with BetVictor is huge in my opinion. The man from the Ivory Coast may have been sent off in his last final in Moscow, but he is a classy operator. Also the 19-20 with Hills about both teams to score looks good. Finally for a correct score bet, I will probably leave it alone, but a 1-1 draw at 8-1 with BetVictor and 2-1 Chelsea at 16-1 with the same firm are good options.

CHAMPIONSHIP PLAY-OFF FINAL
Blackpool v West Ham, 3pm
The Hammers are heavy favourites for this one, just touching odds on with almost all firms, while Blackpool are 16-5 with Boylesports and the 90-minute draw is 29-10 with the same firm. People (me) have been waiting for Sam Allardyce’s team to go into overdrive all season but it hasn’t happened. In contrast Blackpool have improved as the season has gone on and always had the measure of Birmingham in their semi-final. And it is the Seasiders who get my vote.

These games usually produce goals and the ingredients are there to have another goalfest. Over 3.5 goals seems big at 21-10 with sportingbet. In terms of scorers, Stephen Dobbie is the play-off king and he is an enormous 7-2 with Paddy Power. Finally the usual penalties bet that I always do on the big finals, sees both sides 14-1 to win on penalties with bet365.

SCOTTISH CUP FINAL
Hearts v Hibs, 3pm
There are lots of interesting stats about this all-Edinburgh final at Hampden Park. One is the fact that it is 110 years since Hibernian have won the cup. It has been even longer since the only Hearts-Hibs final, which the Jam Tarts won in 1896. I think Hibs will finally get their revenge today! At 14-5 with BetVictor I think Pat Fenlon’s men are a great price to end the Hibees’ hoodoo.

Pat Fenlon’s men are on a high from securing safety in the SPL while financial turmoil has dogged Hearts all season and this team is set to break up after the match. For those reasons I can see Hibs coming out on top. Garry O’Connor is the class act on show and he is an enormous 8-1 with Ladbrokes to score the first goal and that is well worth a go.

Of course given what’s at stake, this one could be a model to go to penalties and as such the prices on each side winning on penalties are a little shorter than the norm. Both Skybet and BetVictor go 11-1 for each team to win on penalties and that is well worth backing.

MY BANKER: Both teams to score in Champions League final (19-20)
MY BLUFFER: Hibs win (14-5)
MY DREAMER: Chelsea 2-1 win (16-1)

Leinster are a general 3-10, with Ulster available at 10-3 and I just can’t see past Joe Schmidt’s side for this one. They only scraped past Clermont in the semi-final put I think that this may prove an easier task.

Ruan Pienaar’s boot will keep Ulster competitive but Leinster have runners from everywhere and I think they can beat the handicap at -7 at evens with sportingbet and Ladbrokes. I think there could be points in this one and Over 40 at 11-10 with William Hill is a good bet.

As for a tryscorer, I have gone with Jonathan Sexton throughout the tournament and at 25-1 with Skybet he looks good value and he is bound to have one break for the line during the game.

MY BANKER: Leinster win (3-10)
MY BLUFFER: Over 40 points (11-10)
MY DREAMER: Jonathan Sexton First Tryscorer (25-1)

Westmeath vs Louth

Louth manager Peter Fitzpatrick probably wishes he could play Westmeath every week. In four games against the Lake County, he has guided Louth to four wins, three in the league and one in the 2010 Leinster championship.  Louth also won the last meeting between these two counties before Fitzpatrick took over – a 1-12 to 0-7 victory in the 2007 National League – but previously this was actually a fixture that Westmeath dominated, with seven wins in succession between 2001 and 2006. This column’s suspicion is that the tide could be turning back in Westmeath’s favour, after the Lazarus act that saved their place in Division 2.

Both sides are entitled to be very proud of their achievements in salvaging Division 2 status – both counties were odds on to make the drop – but Westmeath should be a little bit stronger on Sunday than they were in the league, while key absentees from the Louth team should leave them a weaker side than they were in the Spring. John Gaffey, Doran Harte and James Dolan are all selected to start on Sunday having spent most of the Spring playing football in the green and red of Garrycastle instead of the maroon colours of Westmeath, while Eoin O’Connor, Eamon McAuley and Shane Lennon all miss out due to injury on the Louth side.

As if that weren’t enough, Brian White, Brian Donnelly, James Califf and Cathal Bellew have all decided to emigrate to the US for the summer, while regular full back Dessie Finnegan will miss the game as he will be on his honeymoon. Needless to say not all of the eight players listed above would start, but if they were all available, they would possibly fill as many as four of the spinal positions on the team. Louth simply don’t have the depth to justify favouritism with so many gaps in central positions and so Westmeath represent great value.

Longford vs Laois

This is a fascinating game on so many levels. Longford are brimming with confidence, they will play in front of a home crowd, they play a wonderful fast, attacking brand of football and they are looking forward with enthusiasm to this Leinster campaign and in particular the chance to settle a score with Laois, after they came so close to beating them last year. Laois in contrast are riddled with self-doubt, struggling to find form and unsure of their identity. However while both these teams will play division 2 football in 2013, there were two divisions between them this year and this is still the same Laois team that beat both Armagh and Donegal and gave Dublin a tough contest.

For all the reasons listed above, Longford are a very “lovable” county at the moment. They’re the type of plucky underdog that neutrals love, but that can sometimes lead to fundamental flaws being overlooked. For example they are not strong ball winners at midfield, and the swashbuckling, attacking style of their forward division can sometimes leave the defence exposed. However Laois haven’t improved from Spring to Summer for a while now and they aren’t worthy of trust at odds on.

What we can believe in is the likelihood of a high scoring game, Longford’s very way of playing ensures it. Last year Laois played very defensive football but that didn’t really work out for them and Justin McNulty has reverted to a more attacking style this year. Boylesports have pitched their total points mark at 27.5 – on a good playing surface like Pearse Park and in front of a partisan home crowd, we’re confident that number will be surpassed.

Cavan vs Donegal

This is one of those predictions that more experienced GAA pundits don’t usually make, because it can come back to haunt you in the white heat of championship. However we’re going to go ahead and do it anyway, even if it does risk making us look foolish. Donegal should win this with plenty to spare.

Cavan should experience a certain bounce under Terry Hyland and they have some good young footballers to call upon, but they are a world away from where Donegal are in their preparations right now. One of these teams is an All Ireland contender, the other is a team that would be playing division 4 football in 2013 but for the fact that they miraculously found two teams worse than them this year in the third tier. Donegal’s defensive style is the only thing that has this handicap so low, and frankly if it were a six point handicap instead of a three, this columnist would still fancy Donegal to cover, that’s how bad Cavan are.

Limerick vs Waterford

Waterford haven’t beaten anyone other than Clare in the Munster football championship in nearly a quarter of a century.

We give that line a paragraph all to itself so we can allow the magnitude of that statement to sink in. No matter what issues Limerick may have had this year, they still should be better than Waterford, who continue to struggle. If this game were taking place in Fraher Field we might have some belief in the possibility of an upset, but even allowing for the somewhat uncharacteristically free scoring 1-18 to 1-14 win for Waterford when these two counties met in the league, we’d prefer to go for a lower stakes, higher return bet this week than backing the underdogs, who look to be up against it.

So we’re going to pick two players for a first goalscorer bet. First we’ll go with Mark Ferncombe, who scored four goals for Waterford in the league while no other player raised more than a single green flag, and we’re also going to side with Seamus O’Carroll for Limerick. The big full forward is one of the players who should relish the opportunity to go for balls dropping into the square and while he’s been praised highly for his achievements playing handball in recent weeks, he’s also a very accomplished footballer and one who will be a real threat to the Waterford goal this Sunday.

Roscommon vs Galway

If Roscommon manager Des Newton can go into championship battle without feeling the need to start a single member of an under-21 panel that reached the All Ireland final, then clearly he believes that either (a) Roscommon have serious strength in depth, or (b) the under-21′s weren’t that good after all. As with all things, it’s probably a little bit of both.

Galway football this year has given the impression of being very, very close to hitting the mark. Alan Mulholland has imposed a style and pattern to the county’s play and eliminated a lot of the individuality that plagued the Tribesmen in recent years. He now has a young, strong panel who are working hard for each other and if Michael Meehan is in fact close to making a return as is rumoured, then this could yet turn out to be a good summer for Galway. The problem is that they have always shown a genuine disinterest in the qualifiers and in order to avoid that minefield, they need to get out of Dr Hyde Park intact. This could prove tricky, and while this column remains of the view that there are parallels between Roscommon football and the emporor with no clothes, there’s nothing to be gained by punting the Galway at 8/15. Instead, we’ll again play the square ball rule change and side with another big full forward to net the first goal – in this case Paul Conroy of St James and Galway.

Match Betting Recommendations

Louth vs Westmeath: Westmeath to win @ 5/4 (Bet365, Skybet)

Longford vs Laois: Over 27.5 total points @ 5/6 (Boylesports)

Cavan vs Donegal: Donegal -3pts @ 5/6 (Boylesports, Bet365)

Limerick vs Waterford: Seamus O’Carroll @ 7/1 and Mark Ferncombe @ 8/1 to score the first goal. (Ladbrokes)

Roscommon vs Galway: Paul Conroy to score the first goal @ 7/1 (general)

Suits Me – Led at a fast pace and stayed on the far rail in the home straight, all of which probably militated against him, given that the other horses to do that, Space War, New Hampshire and Labarinto, all faded to finish third last, second last and last, but Suits Me kept on really well all the way to the line to finish fourth. He is nine years old and he is not obviously progressive, but this was a fine performance, probably significantly better than the bare form of it, and he can win a similar contest.

Gatewood – Won well, he did wander a bit under pressure, but he kept finding when others came to him, and he probably won with a fair bit in hand. This was just his fourth ever run, his seasonal debut. This race has been won by some nice types in the past, including Pekan Star and Imposing, who won the last two renewals, and Gatewood should be able to progress from this.

Mulaqen – Travelled like a good horse, a little keenly if anything, picked up nicely to take it up early in the home straight, and stayed on really well all the way to the line, winning with plenty in hand. This was just his sixth ever run, his first since last July (when he wasn’t beaten far by Aiken) and he can progress again. The time was very good for a Class 4 contest, the exact equal comparatively of the Group 3 Musidora Stakes and the Group 2 Duke of York Stakes. He could make up into an Ebor horse. He stayed this trip well.

Aldwick Bay – Travelled as well as the winner Mulaqen into the home straight, but just didn’t seem to see out the 12-furlong trip, just getting run out of fourth place in the final strides. He will be interesting again dropped back down to 10f.

Swinging Hawk - Ran on well from the rear on his first run on the flat since October 2010, and his first run under any code since last January. He had to check back around the three-furlong pole, just when he was beginning to wind up for a finishing effort, which didn’t help. It was his first run since being gelded, and he can go on for this, especially if he is stepped up again in trip.

Mayson – Got upset in the stalls before the Duke of York Stakes, which is not like him, but Paul Hanagan said afterwards that he didn’t give him any kind of feel at all through the race. You can put a line through this because of the fact that he got upset in the stalls, and he may be under-rated a little on his next run on the back of what was ostensibly a disappointing run for which he can be easily forgiven.

Society Rock – Ran a cracker to finish a close-up fourth in the Duke of York, despite being short of room inside the final furlong. This should leave him spot on for Royal Ascot. He was strong in the market for this, he probably isn’t expected to come on a great deal for it, but his record at Ascot is so good that he has to be under consideration for the Golden Jubilee again now, at least in the without-the-favourite market, given the presence in that race this year of the remarkable Black Caviar.

Bogart - Showed a lot of pace on the far side in the Duke of York, he is only three and this was his seasonal debut, so there is plenty of potential for progression, even though it can be tough for three-year-olds in the sprinting division. A drop back to five furlongs shouldn’t inconvenience him unduly either. The Nunthorpe might be the race for him.

* For more of Donn’s thoughts, visit www.donnmcclean.com.