Carlisle's loss is Thirsk's gain tomorrow.

Because of the foot and mouth restrictions still in place in Cumbria, Carlisle is unable to hold its traditional end-of-June meeting, with the result that the first day has been transferred to Thirsk tomorrow and the second day to Newcastle on Thursday.

The £10,000 Carlisle Bell, an historic handicap, is the highlight of tomorrow's card, and Ballet Master, trained by Mick Easterby, gets my vote.

This useful gelding had to be withdrawn on Knavesmire recently when he parted company on the way to the start with his apprentice rider Paul Hanagan, who was signed-off for 21 days after suffering concussion.

Ballet Master had previously finished a creditable third in a hot handicap at Newmarket and a luckless sixth at Chester. Well up to winning a race of this nature, Ballet Master is expected to put his best foot forward tomorrow.

Sealed By Fate should not be overlooked in the Coniston Selling Stakes.

John Wainwright's six-year-old has been running well in defeat recently, not least in a classified race at Redcar last Saturday, which, on paper, was much too good for him. Dropped in class here, Sealed By Fate should make a bold bid under Robert Winston.

Fiddlesticks can be another winner for Winston in the Ulswater Handicap. Lynda Ramsden's three-year-old has been knocking on the door recently and will surely get the right sort of reply one of these days.

Mamma's Boy can make his presence felt in the Polar Ford Handicap. Although something of a Musselburgh specialist, Alan Berry's seasoned campaigner is a previous winner over this course and distance. In good heart at present, he can make up for an unlucky run on his latest start.

At Salisbury, Gold Statuette can stand tall in the £20,000 Tote Trifecta Bibury Cup.

The John Hills-trained opened his seasonal account when beating Espana by two and a half lengths on his latest outing at Warwick where he seemed to appreciate the step up to a mile and a quarter.

Gold Statuette faces an longer trip tomorrow and is capable of further improvement. He is awarded the Nap vote.

Also worth watching out for are the promising Diamond Ring (2.10) and the smart Red N' Socks (3.10), both trained by John Dunlop and the mounts of Pat Eddery.

Tomorrow's tips:

Thirsk

2.00 First Alert,

2.30 Sealed By Fate,

3.00 Mamma's Boy,

3.30 Ballet Master,

4.00 Fiddlesticks,

4.30 The President.

Salisbury

2.10 Diamond Ring,

2.40 Minihaha,

3.10 Red N' Socks,

3.40 Love You Too,

4.10 Gold Statuette (Nap),

4.40 Preferred.

Updated: 13:46 Tuesday, June 26, 2001