ROYSTON Ffrench, whose riding career has been sensationally revived since he moved from Newmarket to Richmond in North Yorkshire last November, heads south tomorrow with excellent prospects of making a splash on day one of Glorious Goodwood.
Ffrench joins forces with Roger Fisher, one of his newly-acquired northern supporters, in the Betfair Molecomb Stakes and the pair are fancied to land the Group 3 spoils with nap selection Beckermet.
Cumbrian trainer Fisher, himself enjoying a career revival, has done a sterling job on Beckermet to mould him into a prolific winner. The speedy colt has been in the form of his life of late, winning his last two starts in the style of a high-class horse.
Ffrench, a former champion apprentice, whose career then plummeted before he fought his way back up the ranks, thanks largely to an association with Middleham trainer Mark Johnston, has a high opinion of Beckermet and feels he is up to this challenge.
Local trainers John Quinn, Kevin Ryan, David Nicholls and Bryan Smart are all strongly represented in this five-furlong dash, but Beckermet is taken to see them all off for Ffrench and Fisher.
Frankie Dettori, on a high after Doyen's King George romp at Ascot on Saturday, is unlikely to allow the first day of Goodwood's five-day festival to come and go without getting his name on the scoreboard.
Duke Of Venice, a stablemate of Doyen, makes plenty of appeal with Dettori in the saddle in the ABN Amro Stakes.
Kieren Fallon, aboard two winners at Newmarket yesterday, can clinch the £100,000 Betfair Cup, the richest race on the card, on French challenger Crystal Castle.
John Hammond's six-year-old has finished in the frame in all his three races this season, most recently when beaten only a head by Tim Easterby's Fayr Jag in the Golden Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot in June when he failed to get the cleanest of runs.
Tomorrow's extra furlong will not inconvenience him in the slightest, and he is fancied to come out on top.
At Beverley, Ken Magee, who has spent over 50 years working for the Sledmere Stud, has a race named in his honour in the admirable Lifetime In Racing Series, promoted by Racing Welfare.
The five-furlong maiden fillies' event looks a good opportunity for Tim Easterby's Colonial Girl to finally break her duck after a series of respectable placed efforts.
Kevin Darley, seen to such good effect aboard a couple of winners at York on Saturday, can land Beverley's feature event.
The Sheriff Hutton-based jockey teams up with Tedstale in the £10,000 toteexacta Handicap and the six-year-old, also trained by Easterby, has been running well enough in defeat recently to secure this prize. Furthermore, he is a previous winner over this course and distance.
Tuesday's tips:
Goodwood
2-05 Windy Britain, 2-40 Duke Of Venice, 3-15 Crystal Castle, 3-50 Beckermet (NAP), 4-25 Mephisto, 5-00 Rajwa, 5-35 Pango.
Beverley
2-20 Erte, 2-55 Lodgician, 3-30 Tedstale, 4-05 Red River Rebel, 4-40 Winthorpe, 5-15 Colonial Girl, 5-50 Santiburi Lad.
Tomorrow afternoon's other meetings are at Sedgefield and Windsor.
Updated: 12:12 Monday, July 26, 2004
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