ROYAL Ascot's featured event, the Prince Of Wales's Stakes, sees Grandera bidding to win this Group 1 event for the second successive year tomorrow.

A quirky individual, he has a lot of talent and, if consenting to put his best foot forward, Grandera could well complete an outstanding double.

North Yorkshire trainer Mark Johnston, who has such a great record at Royal Ascot and was leading trainer at last year's meeting, can land a double with Attraction and Pearl Of Love.

The Queen Mary Stakes is the target for nap selection Attraction, the mount of Kevin Darley, who bids to extend her winning sequence to four after successes at Nottingham, Thirsk and Beverley.

Her latest success, at the last-named course, in the Hilary Needler Trophy, was hugely impressive. Quickening clear of a useful field to win very much as she liked, Attraction crossed the line with two-and-a-half lengths to spare, a margin which could easily have been doubled, had she been ridden right out to the line.

Although she gallops with a rather peculiar action, a legacy, perhaps, of not being blessed with the straightest of forelegs, Attraction has a huge engine. She has a major chance of hitting the heights in this Group 2 contest.

Pearl Of Love, the mount of Darryll Holland, has outstanding claims of giving Johnston another winner in the Chesham Stakes, a race the trainer has landed in two of the last three years.

An impressive winner at Doncaster last time out over six furlongs, Pearl Of Love is expected to prove even better served by tomorrow's longer trip.

The one-mile cavalry charge that is the Royal Hunt Cup will set punters its annual poser as a field of 32 horses come thundering straight down the course.

Preference is for Macadamia, trained by James Fanshawe and the mount of Johnny Murtagh. A fluent winner of a decent race at Pontefract last week, Macadamia looks capable of defying a 7lb penalty.

The two-and-a-half miles of the Ascot Stakes will take some getting, but the marathon trip should hold no fears for Tim Easterby's representative Thewhirlingdervish, an out-and-out stayer, who relishes the current fast ground. Richard Quinn takes the mount.

Sir Michael Stoute's Arakan, an impressive winner at York last month, looks good in the Jersey Stakes, where he will again be partnered by Kieren Fallon.

On a local front, tomorrow's action comes from the evening meeting at Ripon, where Kevin Darley - paying a flying visit during Royal Ascot week - looks the jockey to follow on Avid Spell (7.30).

Tomorrow's tips:

Royal Ascot

2.30 Arakan; 3.05 Attraction (NAP); 3.45 Grandera; 4.20 Macadamia; 4.55 Thewhirlingdervish; 5.30 Pearl Of Love.

Ripon

7.00 Time To Regret; 7.30 Avid Spell; 8.00 Dazzling Bay; 8.30 Petrula; 9.00 Tango Cat; 9.30 Miss Mirage.

Tomorrow's other meetings are at Hamilton, Southwell and Worcester

Updated: 14:21 Tuesday, June 17, 2003