Racing by Tom O'Ryan

DISTANT KING, who provided Sheriff Hutton trainer Gerry Kelly with his first winner on the Flat after 11 years with a licence last week at Beverley, is fancied to double his score at Hamilton tomorrow.

The five-year-old goes for the opening Stanley Racing Handicap and has the advantage of lining-up without a penalty, his narrow Beverley success having been gained in an apprentices' race carrying 5lb overweight.

It has taken Distant King some time to find his form, but he preceded his recent victory by finishing a good third to Goretski at Pontefract.

For Kelly to have a second winner less than a week after his first, having previously gone more than a decade without, would be quite something. But it is certainly a possibility that Distant King will oblige again under Middleham-based apprentice Paul Goode.

Just Bob gets the nap vote in the Stanley Racing Classified Stakes.

Steve Kettlewell's popular veteran got off the mark for the season in an amateur riders' race on this course last week and escapes a penalty for that success here. With Jimmy Fortune in the saddle, he is napped to follow up.

Raed should take all the beating in the Sunday Mail Handicap Series (Qualifier).

The Ann Swinbank-trained gelding was an unlucky loser at Beverley last week, finding all sorts of trouble before staying on strongly to finish second to Roborant. He can gain swift compensation here.

At Chepstow, Black Ice Boy, trained near Wetherby by Robin Bastiman, can make his long journey pay off by landing the Lions Lodge Handicap over a gruelling two-and-a-quarter miles.

This out and out stayer, a winner over two miles and five furlongs at Pontefract earlier this season, will relish every yard of this stamina test and is expected to turn the tables on Arisaig (another North Yorkshire raider) following their recent close encounter at Pontefract.

Kieren Fallon, who picked up a three-day ban for careless riding at yesterday's Irish Derby meeting at The Curragh, is expected to make his presence felt at Chepstow for all the right reasons.

The reigning champion jockey can complete a double on King Tango (3.30) and Alcayde (4.00).

The former, trained by Henry Cecil, finished a highly-promising second to Dark Shell on his debut at Sandown, while Alcayde showed enough ability in two starts in the spring to suggest that John Dunlop's charge is capable of winning this company.

The feature race, the £10,000 Stewards' Trial Handicap, is fancied to fall to River Tern, from the Milton Bradley stable, which sent out So Intrepid to win this event 12 months ago.

River Tern finished a very unlucky third to Kilcullen Lad at Redcar on his latest start, and would surely have taken all the beating with a clear run.

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