RIP VAN WINKLE SLIPS BACK A BIT

My speed ratings suggested the QEII would be a romp for RIP VAN WINKLE (41). But that's not how it turned out. After chasing the good but certainly not too strong pace set by Aqlaam he kicked on into the lead with two furlongs to run. However it was hard not to notice how well Zacinto was going and that one soon surged forward and came alongsides.

Zacinto's run did finally fizzle out inside the last furlong and Rip Van Winkle was driven out to win by a hard fought length and a quarter. But he was visibly tired which is why he drifted off the fence. And he came home four fifths of a second slower in the final furlong than the two year olds managed in the Royal Lodge earlier on the card.

Rip Van Winkle had earned speed ratings of 44 from me on his two previous starts and would have done so again had he been able to sustain his effort and finish as well as the two year olds. But he tired and it's hard to avoid the conclusion that he's now past his best, perhaps due to the ongoing problems he's had with that foot infection.

It's actually the norm for Aidan O'Brien's three year olds to go off the boil late in the season. They've only won five of their eighty one starts in Group 1 and Grade 1 company from October onwards. Previously I'd thought that Rip Van Winkle was almost a good thing to win the Breeders' Cup Classic. Now I'm going to be siding against him with some confidence.

Runner up Zacinto is just a bit shy of Group 1 class and, having previously thought he'd be suited by the ten furlongs of the Champion Stakes, I now have my doubts as he was clearly outstayed by the winner here.

Third placed DELEGATOR (37) showed his old problem of hanging on a fast surface and would have drifted out more had Zacinto not been on his outside holding him on. I wouldn't fancy his chances around the ultra tight turns of Santa Anita and on the rock hard ground that's likely to prevail for the Breeders' Cup Mile.

HIGHLAND GLEN IS GROUP CLASS

I thought Tinaar was a good thing to win at Kempton last Monday as she'd earned a Listed class speed rating from me when scoring at the same course a couple of weeks earlier. But it turned out she was in a red hot contest and could only manage third behind HIGHLAND GLEN (38) despite running just as fast as she had before.

Highland Glen was hustled up to set a strong pace after a slow start and simply kept on going. He stood off a determined challenge from Ottoman Empire and is clearly a very smart performer.

If Highland Glen were trained by Luca Cumani I'd be moving heaven and earth to find some bookie who'd lay me a big price about him for next year's Ebor. But he's trained by Sir Michael Stoute which probably means he'll quickly be steered towards pattern company.

I rated this a solid Group 3 class performance by Highland Glen. Clearly he cannot handle mud. So it would be tough to find a big race for him to win before next season. I imagine he'll be put away till then when I'd bet on him winning in Group company sooner rather than later.

Runner up OTTOMAN EMPIRE (37) would seem more likely to have another run this term as his trainer has said before that he's not able to act on firm turf. This is presumably why they switched him to Fibresand and Polytrack which are easier on a horse's legs. He'd be interesting in something like the November handicap.

TINAAR (37) stayed on best of all, gaining ground on the winner in the closing stages to finish a close third. This $400,000 yearling almost certainly needed her first run and found a mile too short on her second start. But she won a maiden next time in which the only horse to get close to her won its only subsequent start. However it is her last run which really marked her out as so good.

In that race Tinaar sat in fifth place, well covered up, in fact boxed in for most of the way. She was moving well and her jockey was clearly waiting for the gap that appears when the runners pass the opening to the straight for the inner course two furlongs out. Tinaar surged through that gap and picked up really well but had a smart and determined rival in Overturn who went with her and pulled clear of the rest as he did so. Tinaar was always holding him though and was edging away in the last half furlong to win with a little in hand. She was still running really strongly at the line despite a searching early pace.

Tinaar has now run fast enough to win in Listed company twice in a row. Given her terrific pedigree her connections will obviously be keen to earn black type with her as soon as possible. For now it looks like her connections are keen to exploit her remarkably low official handicap mark as they've got her entered up in a 0-95 affair at Newmarket on Saturday. She should have a great shot there. Next season I'll be very interested in her chances of winning in pattern company. It could well be she wants the Leger trip seeing how well she keeps staying on.

DON'T UNDER-ESTIMATE TWICE OVER

It's easy to get bored into ignoring ultra-consistent horses like TWICE OVER (39) that seem a little shy of top class. But the way he's routinely earned ratings of 39 and 40 from me over the last three seasons, even when meeting traffic problems, tells me he might just be good enough to sneak a soft Group 1.

Sadly these days the Champion Stakes is quite often a soft Group 1 as the top horses tend to have more valuable international targets around the same time. So I can readily see Twice Over improving on his second place finish of last year following his win in fast time at Goodwood last week.

Twice Over has won five out of six in Group 3 or lower class and only one from eight in higher grade. Obviously his chance at Newmarket will depend on him avoiding the traffic problems that have beset him in so many races and genuinely top class rivals. But up the straight at Newmarket against the opposition that tends to turn up for the race nowadays that looks by no means impossible.

JOSHUA TREE HAS A SERIOUS TURN OF FOOT

The severe interference that JOSHUA TREE (37) caused to several rivals when sweeping through to win the Royal Lodge Stakes shouldn't be allowed to obscure the fact that he showed a serious turn of foot. He came home four fifths of a second faster in the final furlong than Rip Van Winkle did over the same trip and clocked a time that was verging on Group 1 class.

Joshua Tree is built and bred to go middle distances and looks a solid prospect for the Derby and other big races next year.

HIBAAYEB AND LADY DARSHAAN GOOD MIDDLE DISTANCE PROSPECTS

Marshall Petain was famous for saying "they shall not pass" at Verdun in WWI. HIBAAYEB (36) did a fair imitation when holding off LADY DARSHAAN (35) to take the Fillies' Mile at Ascot.

Lady Darshaan came out of the pack and looked set to mount a serious challenge until Hibaayeb swerved out to bump her with a furlong to run. She then renewed her challenge but Hibaayeb then carried her across the course and her rider added insult to injury by hitting Lady Darshaan over the head.

It's tough to say for sure that Lady Darshaan would have got up without the interference. All we can say is that the winner would not have kept the race in any other country.

It's tempting to rant about the odd policy that's been adopted in Britain of disqualifying winners only a fraction as often as used to be the case five years ago. But it's more profitable to focus on the merits of the first two who both look good prospects for middle distances.

Although Lady Darshaan had previously been kept to sprints she is a long striding sort that is by High Chaparral and looks built for ten furlongs plus.

Hibaayeb may well turn out to be even better than Lady Darshaan as she is a good-bodied, attractive sort that raced with a lot of energy. It looked to be greenness that caused her to drift so badly and I see her improving over longer next year.

LONG LASHES (30) had looked a future star when winning her first two races in Group 1 time. But she had a breathing problem when beaten over a dozen lengths in the Moyglare Stud Stakes and wore a tongue tie here when running another clunker.

It could well be that Long Lashes will have a breathing operation and bounce back next year. But a lot of horses with breathing problems are best fresh. So I'd be inclined to side against her after her next two starts next year, however impressive they may be, if she's not rested.

MUDAARAAH (27) was another that looked to have a big chance on form. However she ran even worse than Long Lashes to finish stone last. It could be that she was simply over the top for the season. I'm certainly not giving up on her as she'd looked so promising beforehand.

GRIPSHOLM CASTLE WORTH FOLLOWING

GRIPSHOLM CASTLE (38) put up a Group class performance on the clock when running away with a decent fillies' handicap by seven lengths at Haydock. The runner up had run third in three Listed races and fourth of nineteen in a strong renewal of the Italian Oaks. So the form looks pretty darned solid.

Gripsholm Castle has only lost once and should have no trouble winning a Listed race on this showing. I just hope she's kept in training next year as she looks awfully promising.

ASHRAM SHOULD GO FOR CHALLENGE STAKES

After he bolted up by four and a half lengths in a Group 3 last Autumn ASHRAM (40) looked set to become a top performer. A two length loss in the Dewhurst didn't do much to dampen my enthusiasm for the big rangy colt. I fully expected to see him win big races and believed he'd improve for a step up in trip.

Now it seems that seven furlongs is actually Ashram's bests distance and that he doesn't get a mile on a stiff track or soft ground. I say this because his performance in taking the Dubai Duty Free Cup over the distance once more indicates that he's capable of being competitive at the highest level.

I'd like to see Ashram given a shot at Newmarket's Challenge Stakes. On my ratings he'd have a serious shot of taking that Group 2 contest.

BANKABLE HAS A REAL SHOT DOWN UNDER

These days a lot of the best older horses in Britain produce all their best runs in the big international races run from October to December. They have few local starts, and very often they're simply preps for far more valuable prizes abroad.

This certainly seems to be the case with BANKABLE (35) who won a sprint finish for a Listed race at Sandown with a good deal in hand.

The early pace was too slow for Bankable to clock a decent final time. But it did allow him to demonstrate once more the turn of foot that makes him such a threat in big international races. He came home a remarkable 2.5 seconds faster over the final quarter mile than the useful My Verse did in the next race.

When he won in Dubai back in February Bankable clocked a remarkable 32.94 seconds for the final three furlongs. That's the sort of finish he's going to need to put in if he's going to win the valuable McKinnon Stakes in Australia which is now his target.

Bankable ran fifth of 16 in the Dubai Duty Free and third in the Singapore Airlines Cup. So he's got the form and the finishing kick needed for the McKinnon Stakes, and he's got the speed to according to my ratings.

MY VERSE FAST ENOUGH TO WIN A LISTED RACE

MY VERSE (37) clocked a fast time when winning a mile handicap for fillies at Sandown. She came from the back and looked set to go clear. But when she hit the front her ears started going all over the place, she jinked and when her jockey asked her to kick away she flashed her tail.

To run a Listed class time when showing such obvious signs of inexperience suggests that this lightly raced filly has a good deal of potential. It's getting a bit late in the year for her to be sure of finding some black type, so she'll surely be kept in training at four when I think she'll be worth following.

MISTER MANANNAN A CANDIDATE FOR TOP SPRINTS NEXT YEAR

MISTER MANANNAN (38) had run third in the Molecomb and Flying Childers Stakes, two of the top five furlong races for juveniles. But he improved markedly on those efforts to power away from his rivals when taking the Rosebery Stakes in very fast time at Ayr.

With two furlongs to run Mister Manannan was clearly going better than any of his rivals and forged clear when ridden out to score by three and a half lengths.

Clearly Mister Manannan is getting better with racing. And he has the size and substance to train on into a very decent three year old. He only needs to make normal physical improvement over the Winter to have a shot of taking one of the top sprints next year.

LOOK HERE SHOULD GO TO ITALY

Trainer Ralph Beckett expressed disappointment after Oaks winner LOOK HERE (40) got done on the line by Doctor Fremantle in the Arc Trial. He said he couldn't think of where he could run her next.

My suggestion would be the Premio Roma in Italy. That race is invariably run on the soft ground that Look Here loves. And it would give Look Here a big enough break to ensure she was fresh which she probably need to be, especially this late in the season. I'd say that if she is going to score another Group 1 win the Premio Roma will be it.

DOCTOR FREMANTLE (40) once more met some traffic problems before switching out to the centre of the course and staging a late run to get up. I'm now inclined to think that he's just a bit slow to respond and cumbersome to be fully effective in big fields. For most horses of this type the cut off point is eleven runners. Doctor Fremantle has won five of the six times he's run beyond sprint trips in fields of 11 or less but lost all five times he's faced more runners.

PRINCE SIEGFRIED COULD SHINE IN DUBAI

PRINCE SIEGFRIED (40) has a noticeably choppy action on fast ground and jockey Frankie Dettori says he hasn't got the best of legs. So I thought the ground would be too firm for him at Ayr last week. But by steering him towards the less cut up ground in the centre of the track Dettori was able to keep this smart colt striding freely which saw him win clearly from his Group 1 winning stablemate Baila Me in very fast time.

Tapeta, like Polytrack, is a surface that reduces the concussion a horse feels when running. This being so it looks an obvious move to switch this potential Godolphin star to the surface when he goes back home for the Dubai Carnival next year. Most turf runners take to Tapeta, just like they do to Polytrack. So I'd like to see Prince Siegfried steered towards the last leg of the Maktoum Challenge with a view to seeing if he's good enough for the Dubai World Cup. He'd surely flounder and be in danger of getting injured if they ran him on the firm turf which prevails in Dubai.

BAILA ME (37) did well to stay on to finish second on fast ground over a trip too short for her. She is a long-backed filly with a really long stride who seems to be all about stamina rather than acceleration. This is not surprising. Her dam's best run came when she ran fourth in a two and a half mile Listed race (on the flat). And her most successful sibling, Bailamos, was a two mile plus pattern racer. Her only other winning sibling, Be Faithful, was lightly raced and ran his best race when second in a 1m 7f contest.

Baila Me won her first two races in decent style, lengthening away to outclass inferior rivals. Then she ground away at the leaders up the straight in the Preis der Diane (German Oaks), slowly gaining ground to finish third. Watch the video of that race and it's hard not to be struck how rapidly the winner Rosenreihe just ran away from her. She came from further back, flashed by Baila Me on the outside and sprinted clear quickly. It was surely the soft ground that enabled Baila Me to improve and win a Group 1 later in the season.

I doubt that Baila Me would have the pace to be competitive in the Prix l'Opera over ten furlongs or even the Arc over twelve next month unless the ground is soft. But this lightly raced filly is certainly a very interesting acquisition by Godolphin. If she were mine I'd be inclined to keep her in training and aim her at the big Cup races next term.

STRIKE THE DEAL BEST IN SMALL FIELDS

STRIKE THE DEAL (40) clocked a fast time when winning a Group 3 over five furlongs at Newbury. But it seems to me he's going to be hard to place as it looks like he prefers small fields like the one he faced at Newbury.

For many horses it's the quantity rather than the quality of their opposition which is most important. Strike The Deal appears to be such a horse. He has a terrific record in single figure fields.

Strike The Deal met traffic problems when third to the top class fillies Natagora and Magritte in France at two. Since then he's won four of the six times he's run in single figure fields. On of his losses was a neck second to Dark Angel in the Group 2 Mill Reef Stakes. Another was a half length second to the same horse in the Middle Park. In other words if it wasn't for Dark Angel he'd be a Group 1 winner that's scored six wins in a row in single figure fields.

If he were mine I'd ship Strike The Deal to California where small fields are the norm. He's proven that he acts on the kind of synthetic surface they race on in California and could easily win Grade 1 races over there. In Europe his chances are mostly going to be compromised by fields that are too big and ground that's too slow.

MOURAYAN MAY WELL HAVE WON LEGER WITH CLEAR RUN

Pacemakers can give jockeys a false sense of security in a race when setting a pace that seems to be strong but is actually slow enough to lead to a sprint finish. This happened in the Derby. And it happened again in the St Leger.

The Coolmore pacemaker Von Jawlensky took the field along just a bit too slow which led to them running the last half mile 2.25 seconds faster than they did in the high class Mallard handicap for older horses the previous day when I adjust for the difference in going.

Sprint finishes amplify the effect of luck in running. If a horse gets stopped in its run it makes it that much harder to pick up again.

The big sufferer here was MOURAYAN (38) who was gaining nicely when Father Time swerved right across him and carried him into Von Jawlensky two furlongs out. This cost him about three lengths and a lot of momentum. However Mourayan gathered himself together and begun a renewed and powerful surge towards the leaders in the final furlong only to get squeezed out badly between Monitor Closely and Father Time as the latter shifted his ground once more.

My feeling from watching the second incident a few times is that Mourayan would have gotten by Monitor Closely and Father Time if the Cecil horse hadn't squeezed him out. My best guess is the would have been third by slightly less than two lengths. And, seeing that he lost around three lengths the first time Father Time hampered him, it's fair to say I think that he should have won.

Mourayan's problem, and the reason he was unable to avoid the interference, is that he takes a while to get rolling. He's all about stamina rather than acceleration. This leads me to believe that if the early pace had been strong he would have done even better. The field would have been more stretched out. So he would probably have avoided the traffic and been better able to pass his rivals who would have been more tired.

I do hope Mourayan is kept in training next season as he'd be a great bet in the Irish St Leger. He's also have a serious shot of winning a Group 1 at a mile and a half if he encountered soft ground.

The winner MASTERY (40) became the first St Leger winner in twenty years to have previously run over 1m 5f or more. But he's basically a one-paced sort that had the run of the race and a whole lot more. It's hard to believe that Sea The Stars wouldn't have hammered him if his connections had opted to complete the Triple Crown. It's equally hard to see how he'd have beaten Age Of Aquarius if the Coolmore horse hadn't been forced to miss the race due to a last minute setback. If either of those two or Mourayan had won the stats against 'proven stayers' in the St Leger would have been upheld.

Having said that Mastery is clearly a very solid stayer, as is his stablemate KITE WOOD (40) who ran a close second.

Watching the video of the race it was hard not to notice just how big and top heavy Kite Wood is. He didn't seem to be that inconvenienced by the fast ground but his physique and record strongly suggest that he's a fair bit better on a softer surface. Soft ground reduces the concussion he feels to his forelegs and counteracts his obvious lack of acceleration.

MONITOR CLOSELY (39) ran yet another big race to finish third. The relatively moderate early pace means he didn't really prove he stays beyond twelve furlongs here. But he is a great big strapping sort so I'm now prepared to believe he can outstay his pedigree. He jumped a path just after the start and this may have cost him a little ground.

The most interesting horse to take from the race I think is fourth placed FATHER TIME (38).

Father Time is a pig of a horse to ride. As I've mentioned he always cruises up to the leaders, looking as though he's going to swarm all over them. But if he has to sustain his finishing run for very long his head comes up and he weighs anchor. So far he's won both times he's run on tracks with homestraights shorter than three furlongs and lost all five times he's had to run up longer homestraights.

At Doncaster Father Time's trainer Henry Cecil made what I thought was a very shrewd move in giving Jamie Spencer the ride. Spencer holds more of his mounts up for a late run than any other top jockey. If any rider could keep the horse covered up and deliver him on the line it was Spencer.

Unfortunately Father Time wasn't cooperating. He was so full of run turning in due to the modest early pace that he was just itching to go. He surged forward rather too early fully a quarter mile out and proceeded to stick his head in the air and shift all over the place. He gave poor Mourayan a horrible time and did himself no favours either yet still ran a close fourth.

If he were mine I would have no hesitation whatsoever in shipping Father Time over to America for the Breeders' Cup Turf. The one and a half furlong homestraight at Santa Anita would suit him perfectly. And he's Breeders' Cup nominated, so he can get into the race without his owner having to pay a huge supplementary entry fee.

I believe Father Time is capable of winning big Group 1 races on tracks with short homestraights. Or it may simply be he needs bigger fields to provide more cover. His two wins have come in the biggest fields he's tackled. In any event I have my eye on him as a likely winner of a big international race before the season is out.

FANTASIA IS BACK

FANTASIA (39) showed that she's as good as ever when winning the Listed Sceptre Stakes at Doncaster's St Leger meeting in fast time. She had to be stoked up quite vigorously with around a quarter mile to run. But once the race became a matter of stamina she fairly surged clear.

Fantasia is a big, rangy, scopey filly with a big stride that's always looked likely to do better over ten furlongs. She fretted her chance away when shipped to France the only time she ran that far but will surely be tried at the distance next year if she's kept in training. Meanwhile she must have a big chance of taking the Sun Chariot Stakes next time. Though I have to say I'm rather hoping she doesn't as it will give her connections an incentive to keep her in training in order to secure that vital Group 1 win.

ALL THE ACES COULD PRODUCE AN UPSET IN IRISH ST LEGER

The performance of ALL THE ACES (39) in running a close second to the high class KIRKLEES (40) in the Group 3 September Stakes at Kempton serves as a useful reminder that Polytrack is not quite the same surface as turf.

This is hinted at in a really useful description of Polytrack I found on www.dundalkstadium.com which I quote in part; "... supplies the same characteristics as the root structure in good turf. The sand used comprises of carrying gradients which consequently provides an interlocking effect. When mixed with the sand, the fibre reduces hoof penetration and keeps the horses 'on the top' decreasing the risk of stress and strain as well as improving energy return."

It is clearly Polytrack's greater cushioning effect which helps All The Aces. He's a top heavy sort that gets jarred up by firm turf. But he's shown nothing but smart form on genuinely good or slower turf or Polytrack. In fact if three very close finishes had gone his way he would have been unbeaten in six tries on such surfaces before his loss at Kempton.

At Kempton All The Aces set a relatively modest pace and began to wind things up from about three and a half furlongs out. He simply didn't have the acceleration to contain the winner but once more showed his great stamina by keeping on really strong to power four and a half lengths clear of the rest as he tried to go with Kirklees.

If Yeats fails to fire in the Irish St Leger and the wet weather continues I can see All The Aces running a really big race.

Kirklees had pulled too hard to last home the only previous time he'd tackled a mile and a half in the Dubai Sheema Classic. It may be he was still a bit jarred up from an unsuccessful attempt at dirt three weeks before (he did look really uncomfortable on the surface). In any event, following this success he has now won the other six times that he's run ten furlongs or more on fast turf or Polytrack.

Seeing that he's hit ratings of 40 and 41 multiple times and won a Group 1 as a two year old I've been surprised that Kirklees has been kept below Group 1 class in Britain this season. Now it's clear that he has been saved for a campaign in Australia. He is going into quarantine prior to being shipped Down Under where the Cox Plate, Caulfield Cup and Melbourne Cup are all possible targets.

The Australian race I like most for Kirklees is the Caulfield Cup as European runners clearly have a serious edge over its twelve furlong distance. At the ten furlongs of the Cox Plate I suspect he'll find a few too good for him. The two miles of the Melbourne Cup also appeals as long as he settles as well as he did at Kempton at the relatively slow early pace they'll be going at Flemington.

JACONET MUST GO TO AMERICA

The phone belonging to the owner of JACONET (40) must be ringing off the hook with American offers after the filly equaled the six furlong course record when winning a hot handicap on Lingfield's Polytrack.

Jaconet was draw wide but showed so much early pace she was two lengths clear within fifty yards and was able to drop over to the rail. She just kept going really fast in the lead and had all her rivals in serious trouble by halfway. She showed no sign of stopping up the straight and simply powered away to score by five lengths.

Jaconet showed nothing in her first half dozen starts. But since then she's been unbeaten in three Polytrack outings and has won five times out of six on really fast turf.

This run was good enough for Jaconet to win a fillies Grade 1 on a synthetic surface in America. Seeing that she's breeders' Cup nominated it must be really tempting to ship her over to America to win something decent in order to get her qualified for the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint. That race is over seven furlongs, but her pedigree and physique suggest the distance is within her compass, as does the way she was finishing.

California does seem the logical place for Jaconet as the only surfaces are firm turf and synthetics and field sizes are invariably small enough for a smart front runner like her to dominate. Plus there are stacks of fillies-only stakes. I can see her racking up a string of wins over there. It would be pretty pointless keeping her in Britain where her opportunities are severely limited.

MARKAZZI SHOULD DO WELL NEXT YEAR

MARKAZZI (35) clocked a decent time when winning a good juvenile maiden at Leicester, one that would be good enough to win a Listed race for juveniles.

Early on Markazzi's jockey seemed intent on ensuring his mount had a clear run as he edged him out to the centre of the course. Once there he steadily worked his way forward and gradually wore down the runner up to win going away. He got better the longer he ran and was traveling best of all at the finish as he surged ahead.

My feeling is that Markazzi will do better at three when he has the chance to run middle distances than he will at two where he basically has only seven furlongs and a mile as options. This is a good-bodied, mature, useful looking sort that has the physique of a ten furlong horse in my opinion.

REMEMBER BAB AL SALAM FOR DUBAI CARNIVAL

Extremely valuable handicaps are the main bill of fare at the Dubai Carnival. And Sheikh Mohammed seems to be gearing up for an assault on them by targeting British handicaps run on Polytrack - a similar surface to the Tapeta now being laid for the new Meydan course over which the Dubai Carnival will be run next year.

BAB AL SALAM (37) made it six wins out of seven in Polytrack handicaps for Godolphin in 2009 when taking a red hot three year old race at Lingfield over ten furlongs.

In the early stages Bab Al Salam sat in second place behind ALMUKTAHEM (36) and got a little stretched when that one started to wind up the pace from soon after halfway. He gradually wore the leader down though, forged ahead just after the furlong pole and then held the late rush of MUTAMAASHI (37).

This was the second time in a row that Bab Al Salam has earned a Listed class peed rating from me. He is now unbeaten in three starts and could basically be anything. Certainly he's an interesting prospect for the Dubai Carnival which I suspect is where we'll see him next.

Mutamaashi finished with quite a rush. He'd beaten the smart Easter Aria on his only previous try on Polytrack but does seem to handle soft turf as well judged by his third in a decent Newmarket handicap. He too will be interesting for Dubai.

Like the first two, Almuktahem is owned by a member of Dubai's ruling family. So he too is an obvious prospect for the Dubai Carnival. He is a long striding, scopey sort that shows knee action. So I'd say he'll be ideally suited by a mile and a half plus and a bit of cut in the ground.

LETHAL GLAZE JUST KEEPS ON TRYING

LETHAL GLAZE (37) looked to have little chance of catching the front running BECAUSEWECAN (37) approaching the final furlong in a hot twelve furlong Polytrack handicap at Kempton. He was two lengths down and the leader was traveling strongly. But despite having been under pressure for half a mile he continued to grind away and eventually his remarkable determination pulled back the margin and enabled him to get up close home.

Lethal Glaze is apparently a somewhat lazy character who needs a lot of driving but never seems to run out of energy. His trainer says he cannot act on firm turf and that's why he switched him to Polytrack.

Lethal Glaze has now won all five times he's run on Polytrack or turf which has been officially good or softer. He clocked a Listed class time here and looks an interesting prospect for the November handicap. Meanwhile he's going to be hard to beat in Polytrack handicaps or on grass if the rains arrive.

Becausewecan seems similarly inclined to the winner in terms of surface. If the photo had gone his way bit would have been his fourth successive success on Polytrack or yielding or softer turf. He's remarkably well handicapped on an official mark of just 79 and will surely be placed to exploit this soon.

I liked the way fourth placed BADAWI (33) ran. He moved smoothly for a long way but then ran green in the closing stages. This Godolphin colt is a big, scopey, good looking sort with a long stride who won nicely on his only previous start. He was the first loser Saeed bin Suroor has sent out in six Polytrack handicaps this year. It looks like the stable is using the surface to sort out its best prospects for the valuable handicaps to be run on the new AW surface at Meydan during the Dubai Carnival.

EASTERN ARIA AND HONIMIERE CAN WIN LISTED RACES

Beverley's most valuable race, the Totesportcasino.com Stakes, produced the track's fastest ten furlong time in at least fourteen years when the fillies EASTERN ARIA (37) and HONIMIERE (36) pulled clear of the field.

Honimiere had won the three previous times she'd run nine furlongs or more and looked sure to win when surging into the lead full of running. But Eastern Aria came out of the pack to catch her as she seemed to idle a bit.

My feeling is that Honimiere is the better prospect of the two and will improve for a step up to twelve furlongs. But Eastern Aria is clearly smart as well. Both fillies look capable of winning Listed races.

MOURILYAN CAN WI SOMETHING BETTER

MOURLIYAN (39) clocked another fast time to win a Listed race at Goodwood in good style. He coped with the fairly fast ground well. But, as I've mentioned before, he does show knee action. So I'd like to see him kept on the go to exploit soft ground opportunities in the Doncaster and Jockey Club Cups. He's run three big races out of three at marathon distances and is one of the best stayers around right now. Soft ground would give him a great shot of scoring his first Group success this Autumn while the likely firm ground in Dubai would make a second shot at the DRC Gold Cup more problematic.

SHEEPSKIN NOSEBAND REVIVES CAMPANOLOGIST

After he'd eased himself up in front when getting caught by Jukebox Jury at Haydock I suggested that CAMPANOLOGIST (40) might well be better on tracks with shorter homestraights. But trainer Saeed bin Suroor came up with another solution when fitting the horse with a sheepskin noseband before his latest start in the Group 3 Winter Hill Stakes at Windsor.

A sheepskin noseband forces a horse to bring its head down in order to see the ground in front of it, and this gives the jockey more control. It certainly worked the trip for Campanologist at Windsor. But, just to make sure, Frankie Dettori held him up for a very late effort which saw him land in front 100 yards off and then hold off that smart international performer BANKABLE (40).

The talk afterwards was that Campanologist would be going for another Group 3. But he showed he's competitive in big Group 1 races by running a length and a half fourth in last year's Eclipse. Now that the key to him has been found he surely deserves a shot at one of the big international races to be run late in the year. As I've mentioned he's nominated for the Breeders' Cup and would have a real shot in the Breeders' Cup Turf.

Bankable is a big handsome horse who needed this run badly according to his trainer. After running well in the Dubai Duty Free and the Singapore Airlines Cup he's clearly been held back for an Autumn campaign at more international races. For a big horse he's got a serious turn of foot and looks a particularly interesting prospect for the Hong Kong Cup in December.

KINGDOM OF FIFE (39) did really well to finish a close third to this smart pair. He looks like yet another older horse that Sir Michael Stoute is set to transform from a handicapper into a serious Group racer. If two photos had gone his way he would have won five of the previous six most recent times he's run ten furlongs. He ran second in the John Smiths' Cup over the distance and produced another big ten furlong effort here. He's a gelding so looks sure to stay in training next year when I'd bet on him starting out in the Brigadier Gerard at Sandown, a race that Stoute often uses as a launching pad for horses of this type to better things.

LONGER TRIPS SUIT TRAFFIC GUARD

Until last week TRAFFIC GUARD (39) had never run beyond ten furlongs. But he showed that longer distances suit him really well when powering clear to take the Listed August Stakes over 1m 3f and 135 yards at Windsor by eight lengths.

Approaching the two furlong pole Traffic Guard was being stoked up vigorously and was simply one of several horses fighting for the lead. But his stamina then kicked in and he started to go clear and began moving more smoothly and really asserted in the final furlong. He eventually came home half a second faster over the last three furlongs than Campanologist did in the shorter Winter Hill Stakes on the same card.

Traffic Guard has apparently recovered from joint problems which have held him back before. He clearly acts on softer ground, as he showed when running New Approach to half a length in last year's Irish Champion Stakes. Now that he's running over a more suitable trip and is in such good form I'd be wary of opposing him next time in anything but a Group 1.

AAJEL AS GOOD AS EVER

Marcus Tregoning produced a great training performance to win with AAJEL (37) off a two year break at Yarmouth. The big, scopey, long striding grey was soon in front and moving strongly. In fact the only time he looked in any trouble was very early in the race when he clearly had a god long think about ducking out at the paddock bend and heading back to the stables. Thereafter his rivals never gave him any problems. He had them all in trouble fully half a mile out and bounded clear in the final furlong to win ridden hands and heels only with his jockey able to have the luxury of looking around for dangers.

Aajel earned the same Listed class speed rating as he had when winning his previous start two years earlier. And it looks like he could go faster too. I dare say a lot of the big jumping owners will be hoping to see his name in the catalogue for the Tattersalls Horses In Training Sale in October. He'd certainly make a very interesting prospect for the Winter game.