Phoenix Tower by Chester House out of the Zafonic mare Bionic can prove that 1m 2f is his best distance and win Henry Cecil his fourth Eclipse Stakes.

Very lightly raced for a 4-y-o he has had only six runs and his form this year has been most progressive. He had Pipdreamer a head and a neck behind over 1m 1f at Newmarket in April and then ran a superb race to be second 3/4l behind Creachador in the Group1 Lockinge Stakes at Newbury.

He took a very strong hold and could well have been closer if he’d settled better. He ran a very strong race when second to Duke Of Marmalade at Royal Ascot getting going late and staying on well to snatch second place from Pipedreamer on the line.

With rain forecast for the weekend there should be some easing of the ground which may well suit him.

At Haydock Luca Cumani appears to hold a strong hand with Mad Rush and Ladys Best in the Old Newton Cup - a race he has won for the last two years.

Mad Rush - raised another 5lbs for coming 2nd at Royal Ascot - his fourth 2nd in a row may be in the grip of the handicapper. With easy ground forecast the Andrew Balding trained Buccellati is the each-way selection. He stayed on strongly over 1m 4f on easy ground off a mark of 96 to win at Ascot in October.

Returning to 1m 4f for the first time this year with conditions to suit he looks to have a great chance off a mark of 102.

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The Northumberland Plate, also known as the Pitmen’s Derby, looks a wide open race this weekend.

Ante-post favourite Bukit Tinggi probably didn’t quite get home over the 2m 4f at Royal Ascot but ran an excellent race in fourth - beaten about a neck.

He will be better suited by the 2m here but had a very hard race last time. The winner that day, the David Pipe-trained Mamlook is the most likely the one to take out of the race.

He would not be inconvenienced by any rain and it is worth noting that five of the last 11 winners of this race were successful at Royal Ascot.

The David Arbuthnot-trained Desert Sea is definitely of interest. Having his first run for eight months he won very easily over 1m 6f at Sandown two weeks ago. He will be very well suited by the return to 2m.

Carrying a 5lb penalty for his win at Sandown the horse still looks well handicapped. When a close second at Sandown in 2007 he handled softish ground very well.

The John Dunlop-trained Double Banded comfortably beat Tilt over 1m 6f at Nottingham in April. Behind the same horse in the Chester Cup he did not appear comfortable on the tight turning course.

The more galloping nature of Newcastle will suit well. He has won over 2m at Newmarket and is another who would cope with any softening of the ground.

Desert Sea looked a stayer of immense promise at Sandown and must be the selection.

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On Friday in the Albany Stakes Cuis Ghaire for Jim Bolger catches the eye. The daughter of Galileo made a winning debut at Naas in May and followed up on the same track on June 2 in scintillating style.

Winning by 3.5l she bettered the standard for the distance by a full 2 seconds, a fantastic effort from a 2-y-o.

In the King Edward VII Stakes the John Gosden-trained Bronze Cannon is worth an interest. The trainer won this race with Plea Bargain three years ago.

Bronze Cannon´s win over Dr Fremantle on his first run of the season was made to look particularly exciting in light of the runner-up´s 4th in the Derby.

In his next race, despite a 10lb rise in the weights, he won very easily. He is clearly very progressive and should be well suited by the step up in distance.

In the Coronation Stakes (Gr 1 fillies) the French-trained Modern Look is worth considering especially if there is rain. She ran a solid race when 4th in the 1,000 Guineas but was impressive when easily winning a Gr 2 at Chantilly on June 1.

Mark Johnston - who has a great record at the Royal Meeting - may have the answer to the Queen´s Vase run over 2m. His runner Captain Webb won comfortably at Leicester and Brighton before disappointing at Sandown.

His last run at Hamilton over 1m 3f was eye-catching and the way he finished strongly suggests he is going to be well suited by the step up to 2m.

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With Royal Ascot soon upon us things are relatively low key this weekend and the best of the action is at York and Sandown.

The Queen Mother Cup Stakes for lady amateur riders is always a very interesting race. It has recently been dominated by Luca Cumani, who has won the last three runnings.

This year he is represented by the ex-Tony Carroll-trained Ask The Butler who has an outstanding chance.

He got off the mark for his present stable when bursting through late last time out at Newmarket to win comfortably by 0.5l and should defy an 8lb rise in the weights.

In the Cadogan Silver Salver the John Dunlop trained Free Offer is well worth considering. A very progressive type he was slightly disappointing last time out at Newmarket but the stable is now in very good form.

The Heritage Handicap over 6f for 3yos looks very competitive. Good Gorsoon, trained by Barry Hills and ridden by son Michael, looks well in with 8st 6lbs.

At Windsor last time over 6f, showing a nice turn of foot, he got up on the line. Being by Stravinsky he should be well suited by the extra furlong here.

Tim Easterby has won two of the last runnings of this race and his Hamish McGonagall certainly looks a danger, but Good Gorsoon gets the each way selection.

At Sandown, Corrybrough looks to hold all the aces in the Scurry Stakes. Most impressive over course and distance last time beating a good yardstick in Chartist he is a very impressive sprinter and must take all the beating.

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The three colts that make most appeal in this year’s Derby are Casual Conquest, Curtain Call and Doctor Fremantle.

Casual Conquest, trained by Dermot Weld, was most impressive when showing great acceleration to beat Washington Irvine six lengths in the Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial over 1m 2f at Leopardstown.

This in an excellent trial that has been contested by previous Derby winners Golden Fleece, Sinndar, Galileo and High Chaparral. On breeding he has every chance of improving for the step up in distance.

His sire Hernando is a strong influence for stamina and has sired many middle distance horses. The way he won at Leopardstown suggests he has inherited plenty of stamina from his sire.

Curtain Call by Saddlers Wells has a stamina packed pedigree. Indeed, he is closely related to Hernando. Easy winner of a three runner affair at Nottingham over 1m 2f he should improve for the step up in distance.

He does seem to be particularly suited by a soft surface.

Doctor Fremantle - another colt by Saddlers Wells - is a very interesting runner. Even though he has been passed over by stable jockey Ryan Moore in favour of Tartan Bearer he has plenty going for him.

His abundance of stamina was amply demonstrated in the Chester Vase over 1m 4f. Having missed the break he quickened to lead over 1f out and ran on gamely to win by half a length in a true run race.

Given good ground on Saturday Doctor Fremantle is the selection.

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Three of the contenders for the Coronation Cup met in the Prix De L´Arc De Triomphe last autumn.

The Mick Channon-trained Youmazin came out the best - finishing second - a head behind Dylan Thomas. He ended the race very strongly and may have been a stroke unlucky.

Getaway was 1.5 lengths back in fourth with Soldier Of Fortune a half length back in fifth.

Youmazin is not the most consistent of animals though and of the three the one we like is the Andre Fabre-trained Getaway. He won very easily from the subsequent listed winner Sixties Icon to whom he was giving 3lbs at Newmarket. He looks a horse to follow in the top 1.5 mile races this year.

The Oaks looks very open. With the ground riding on the slow side and unlikely to be better than good to soft on Friday stamina will be essential.

The three that appeal most on breeding are the Dermot Weld filly Chinese White, the Roger Charlton-trained and Frankie Dettori-ridden Clowance and the Clive Cox-handled Miracle Seeker.

Chinese White is from the first crop of Arc winner Dalakhani. He has already produced some promising middle distance types. Her dam Chiang Mai by Saddlers Wells stayed very well being placed in the Prix Royal Oak over two miles.

Clowance has won both her starts over 1m 2f and is certain to improve for the step up in distance. Her sire Montjeu has produced two Derby winners.

Miracle Seeker will certainly get the trip, she is half sister to the Champion Hurdle Katchit and seems to have inherited some of his battling qualities.

Chinese White gets our vote after an impressive gallop at Leopardstown last week and Clowance is well worth a small interest with Frankie on board.

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Three of the most interesting races on Saturday are the Timeform Silver Salver and the JW Lees Stakes at Haydock and the Scottish Sprint Cup at York.

In the Silver Salver one that catches the eye is the Jeremy Noseda trained Perfect Polly a very promising filly by Effisio. She is a stable companion of Fleeting Spirit who was so impressive in the Temple Stakes last Saturday.

Indeed, she has form with Fleeting Spirit in the Group 1 Cheveley Park last autumn when running fourth in a fine finish. Fleeting Spirit was second.

Having her first run for Noseda she ran a satisfactory race on quick ground at Hamilton this month. Being by Effisio any easing of conditions at Haydock will be in her favour (there is plenty of rain about).

In the JW Lees it’s Al Qasi who makes appeal. He will appreciate the drop in grade and distance after his disappointing run in the Lockinge Stakes at Newbury.

Seven furlongs here, particularly if there is rain will be right up his street.

Others to consider are the Barry Hills trained Captain Marvellous, a head in front of Al Qasi at Leicester but is 2lbs worse off here, and course and distance winner Appalachian Trail.

At York the Scottish Sprint Cup is very competitive. One that should have a chance is the Brian Smart trained Fathom Five. He ran a promising third in his first race for nine months when behind Borderlescott and Desert Lord at Musselburgh.

As the two ahead of him finished second and third in the Temple Stakes last Saturday the form looks solid.

The front running Ishetoo is another to note. A very progressive sprinter last year he stumbled badly leaving the stalls at Thirsk on May 17. He did really well to get within 2.5 lengths of Manzila at the line.

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A superb card at the Curragh on Sunday features two Group 1 races - the Tattersalls Gold Cup and the Irish 1,000 Guineas.

Duke of Marmalade will be a warm order in the Tattersalls. He won the Group 1 Prix Ganay, the form of which is working out - the third horse there Sageburg beat the high class Darjina in the Prix D´Isaphan last Sunday.

Finsceal Beo and Red Rocks at their best would pose a threat but perhaps the biggest danger is the progressive Lucarno trained by John Gosden.

The 1,000 Guineas is a tough race to work out. If the Mick Channon trained Nahoodh was as unlucky as claimed in the Newmarket Guineas she will probably go close.

The third and sixth in the French 1,000 Guineas were both trained by Aidan O`Brien - Halfway To Heaven and Psalm Run.

The former ran an excellent race, having only her third outing she chased the very strong pace (run in a record time) all the way.

The winner of the Musidora Stakes, Lush Lashes, steps back in trip and if taking her chance is worth considering.

Caribbean Sunset from the powerful Dermot Weld yard ran an excellent trial for this when winning a Group 3 at Leopardstown recently.

Previously she had beaten Halfway To Heaven a head over seven furlongs. She is improving and could well get involved.

Saoirse Abu trained by Bolger has the best form. She won the Group 1 Moyglare Stakes over seven furlongs as a two-year-old. Her third in the Newmarket Guineas, beaten a length, having been hampered in the closing stages, was an excellent effort. In an open race Saoirse Abu is the selection.

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Saturday at the Curragh sees the first of the Irish classics - the 2000 Guineas - and what a race it promises to be.

With first and second at Newmarket again in opposition, will the outcome be the same or will Jim Bolger´s New Approach gain his revenge over the Aidan O´Brien trained Henrythenavigator?

At Newmarket New Approach adopted his usual front running tactics which previously had been so successful. The son of Galileo travelled extremely well going into the last quarter of the race with a two lengths lead.

He was staying on really well only to be beaten by the shortest of short heads by the O´Brien colt under an inspired ride from Johnny Murtagh.

It would appear that Henrythenavigator requires good fast ground to run to his optimum. He was beaten by three lengths by New Approach over seven furlongs as a two-year-old on soft ground and his best performance was on fast ground in the Coventry at the Royal Meeting.

With watering having taken place on the Curragh and some rain forecast easy ground is a distinct possibility. It is worth remembering that just past the post at Newmarket New Approach was back in front and it was the superbly timed challenge of Murtagh that won the day.

Can he repeat the effort at the Curragh? All in all it looks like New Approach will come out on top.

This is by no means a two horse race. Ibn Khaldun represents Godolphin who have won the race twice before with Dubawi (2005) and Bachir (2000).

The winner of the Racing Post Trophy will have to have improved considerably from Newmarket and that is not impossible as the stable has hit top form winning the Group 1 Lockinge last Saturday.

New Approach is the selection.

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totesport Breeders’ Cup bonanza

The eyes of the racing world will be focused on Monmouth Park, New Jersey on Friday and Saturday, when the ‘creme de la creme’ of international thoroughbred horseracing gather for the 24th Breeders’ Cup Championship - and punters can take advantage of totesport’s unique betting products on each and every race.

The climax is on Saturday when totesport offer ante-post odds on all eight star-studded contests and there will be plenty of interest late into the evening in the UK as some of our leading performers bid for glory and attempt to maintain the good record of British and European challengers in the US in recent years.

Many will be hoping to see Brian Meehan’s Red Rocks repeat his tremendous success in last year’s Breeders’ Cup Turf, one of two memorable wins on the card for jockey Frankie Dettori that night. Red Rocks doesn’t come into the race this time around in quite such good form, but there’s no doubt that the pace of the American races and the tight track will play to his strengths, and he is anything but a forlorn hope to repeat the dose. totesport’s offer of 5/1 might look very generous by 10pm on Saturday night!

Red Rocks will have to turn the form around with Aidan O’ Brien’s Dylan Thomas (Evens favourite), already successful in three Group 1 events this term, including, of course, the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp earlier in the month. It remains to be seen how much that incredible performance took out of the horse.

The enigmatic George Washington (also trained by O’Brien) will try his luck in the final event of the night, the $5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic. Although he looks to have his work cut out against a strong home challenge, this talented horse could turn it on when it matters and totesport’s offer of 9/1 will attract many punters.

With O’Brien’s St James’s Palace Stakes winner Excellent Art (7/2f) and Sir Michael Stoute’s four time winner Jeremy (8/1) in the ‘Mile’, there are no end of reasons for wanting to have a bet with totesport in one of the great occasions of the sporting calendar.

Races commence at 1730 (UK) on Saturday, with the ‘Juvenile Fillies’, and conclude at 2230 with the ‘Classic’.