Racing by Tom O'Ryan

Blessingindisguise, the pride and joy of his owner, York chartered surveyor Alan Black, heads to Ascot tomorrow for the £25,000 City Index Handicap with an excellent chance of proving that lightning can sometimes strike in the same place twice.

A year ago Blessingindisguise made the same journey from his Sheriff Hutton base with trainer Mick Easterby and duly carried off this valuable sprint prize in the hands of Michael Kinane.

Irish ace Kinane has again been booked tomorrow in an attempt to produce a carbon-copy victory.

Blessingindisguise, who went from strength to strength last season, has had a less busy time this term with only three outings. That is largely because the Easterby horses were under a bit of a cloud in the spring and early summer.

The stable is now back in form, and Blessingindisguide, a winner at York a fortnight ago by a short head from Polly Golightly, can be expected to have improved again as a result of that race.

He will have needed to. Raised 5lb for that win, he is set to run off an 11lb higher mark than when triumphing at Ascot a year ago. But don't let that put you off. A cracking sprinter on his day, Blessingindisguise should make a bold bid to provide Alan Black with another day to remember.

All eyes will be on Killer Instinct, who makes his eagerly-awaited public debut in the EBF Maiden Stakes.

Henry Cecil's much-heralded colt has created such a huge home reputation that the bookies have already made him favourite for next year's 2,000 Guineas!

Tomorrow, bookies and punters alike will see if Killer Instinct has the qualities required to live up to his name.

Also worth noting on Ascot's televised programme are the in-form Bridie's Pride (2.45), a winner over this course and distance last month and the Mark Johnston-trained Robin Lane (3.50) bidding for a hat-trick of wins after two recent victories at Hamilton.

A couple of hours after Blessingindisguise has run at Ascot, trainer Mick Easterby will saddle Royal Result in the Levy Board Apprentice Handicap at Thirsk. This smart five-year-old has fine prospects in the hands of the capable Stan Finnamore.

A creditable seventh at York two outings ago, Royal Result finished a close-up fourth to Thwaab at Doncaster last week over seven furlongs. Now set to run over a mile, he is a previous winner over this course and distance and is napped to oblige again.

Jeffrey Anotherred showed himself to be in the pink of condition when romping home to an easy success at Ayr earlier this week.

Although that win was on soft ground and conditions will be different tomorrow, Michael Dodd's sprinter deserves the utmost respect.

Barry Hills' horses are coming back to form after a lean spell, and recent winner Crackle has excellent prospects in the featured Lewis Geipel Memorial Challenge Cup in the hands of smart apprentice, Adrian Nicholls.

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