Paul Hanagan’s relentless quest to win the jockeys’ championship takes him to Catterick tomorrow, where the season’s leading rider has excellent prospects of completing a treble.

Malton-based Hanagan, now odds-on to take the title after starting the campaign as an unconsidered 40-1 shot, is fancied to score on Powerful Pierre, Perfect Blossom and Allannah Abu.

The latter is trained by Sir Mark Prescott at Newmarket and performed well enough to finish second at Brighton two weeks ago. That suggests he can go one better in the Racinguk.com Handicap.

Nap selection Perfect Blossom lines up for the August 13th Is Ladies Evening Handicap over five furlongs and can defy a 6lb penalty for her recent Pontefract success.

Hanagan, who was in the saddle that day, had Perfect Blossom out of the stalls like a flash and the speedy three-year-old ran her rivals ragged before coming to the end of her tether late on.

Previously successful at Newcastle, Perfect Blossom should be well suited by this fast track and is taken to win again.

Powerful Pierre, trained at Middleham by Jedd O’Keeffe, has racked up a series of placed efforts. He can step up to the number one slot in the Yorkshire4x4.com Adventure Activities Selling Stakes.

In the Yorkshire Racing Summer Festival Claiming Stakes, Film Festival can play a starring role in the hands of Dale Swift, who is making a big name for himself this summer.

A former jump jockey, Swift has reinvented himself on the Flat since reducing his weight and has enjoyed a purple patch lately, including winning on Film Festival on this course a fortnight ago.

Swift gave the Brian Ellison-trained gelding a dynamic ride that day and it would be no surprise to see the duo deliver the goods again.

Bay Of Fires should take all the beating in the catterickbridge.co.uk Novice Auction Stakes.

David O’Meara’s juvenile won at Redcar two starts back and was far from disgraced when thrown in at the deep end at Royal Ascot where she was beaten less than ten lengths by the classy Memory in the Albany Stakes. This event should be much more suitable for her.

However Hanagan gets on at Catterick, those with the championship firmly in mind, should also keep an eye on tomorrow’s Lingfield programme where Ryan Moore – the reigning champion and one of Hanagan’s arch-rivals – can figure strongly among the winners.

Give Your Verdict (3.30), who has shown plenty of promise, can be one winner for Moore, while the potentially useful Apace (4.00), also trained by Sir Michael Stoute, can be another.


Racing selections

Catterick
2.20 Bay Of Fires, 2.50 Powerful Pierre, 3.20 Film Festival, 3.50 Perfect Blossom (NAP), 4.20 Allanah Abu, 4.50 Viking Warrior.

Lingfield
2.30 Cloudy City, 3.00 Explorator, 3.30 Give Your Verdict, 4.00 Apace, 4.30 Bintalwaadi, 5.00 Lutine Bell.

Tomorrow’s other meetings:
Kempton, Uttoxeter and Worcester.

Today’s meetings:
Beverley, Brighton, Musselburgh and Yarmouth.