Racing by Tom O'Ryan

Further flight, one of the most popular horses in training, is assured of a hero's welcome if he wins tomorrow's feature race at Chester.

Victory for the evergreen 12-year-old in the £55,000 Ormonde Stakes would take his prize money earnings past £500,000, a remarkable figure for a gelding to win.

Further Flight proved himself to be no back-number when winning the Michelozzo Stakes at Nottingham last month for the second time in three years, an achievement which has prompted the course executive to name next year's race after him.

That success was gained in fluent style. Unusually for him, Further Flight made the running but he picked up in typically enthusiastic fashion in the home straight and scored by three and a half lengths from Georgia Venture on behalf of trainer Barry Hills and his jockey-son Michael.

Tomorrow he is into Group 3 company and obviously faces a tougher test. But there is every chance that Further Flight will rise to the occasion, as he has done so often in the past.

The Capital Bank Dee Stakes is best left to High-Rise from Luca Cumani's Newmarket stable.

Unbeaten in two starts, High-Rise showed a sparkling turn of foot to win at Pontefract last month by three and a half lengths from Generous Libra. He remains something of an unknown quantity, but is entered in the Derby and is clearly a colt of immense potential.The William Hare Wynn Handicap over an extended seven furlongs, which opens the Chester card, is a brain-teaser.

Kieran Fallon's mount Nomore Mr Niceguy has a solid chance, along with course specialist Albert The Bear, but my votes goes to the Lynda Ramsden-trained Taffs Well, narrowly beaten at Pontefract last month by Dispol Diamond and far from disgraced when staying-on in fifth place in last Saturday's Thirsk Hunt Cup.

At Hamilton, Henry The Hawk will take plenty of catching in the Clyde Valley Handicap.

From the in-form Darlington stable of Michael Dods, Henry The Hawk made a bold bid to make all the running at Pontefract recently, but was run out of it close to home and beaten less than two lengths into third place behind Sue Me and Mungo Park. He is napped to take the major honours this time.

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