VICARS DESTINY (3.40) looks well worth an each-way investment for Pontefract's Marathon Handicap this afternoon.

The two-mile, five-and-a-half-furlong contest is the longest event on the British racing calendar, which suits Vicars Destiny just fine since the seven-year-old mare has the dubious reputation of being a shade one-paced on the level.

On her latest outing over two-miles at Yarmouth, Sue Lamyman's raider was apparently toiling for much of the race until suddenly making progress hand-over-fist in the closing stages, failing by less than a length to catch one of today's principal rivals, Redspin.

Lamyman has good reason to be optimistic that her horse can reverse the placings with Redspin now that she steps up to a much longer trip, a distance over which Vicars Destiny has done well in her alternative career as a fairly useful National Hunt performer.

The preceding Fryston Handicap could not be more different in nature as the 18-runners on view will have precious little time to sort themselves out during the seventy five seconds or so that it takes to complete the six-furlong dash.

A low draw is normally a big advantage, a factor that puts the bottom-weight, Marker (3.10), in with a major shout.

Marker absolutely fell out of the stalls on his seasonal reappearance at Kempton, giving away far more ground than the couple of lengths he was eventually beaten by into fourth spot.

Jonothan Geake's sprinter will surely not be caught napping at the gates on this occasion, and provided he gets away to an even break, it should enable him to take advantage the favoured inside rail, a route taken by so many previous winners at the track.

After a dismal 2004 campaign when he hardly beat a single horse home, Financial Future (5.10) ran a much more encouragingly on his return at Newcastle nine days ago.

Every cloud has a silver lining and as a result of his dreadful efforts, Financial Future, successful in the 2003 Swiss Derby, has plunged headlong down the ratings from 96, to his current rating of 65.

Mark Johnston's well-handicapped five-year-old appears certain to have benefited fitness-wise for his spin at the Tyneside track, a run that will hopefully put him cherry-ripe for the betfair.com Apprentice Handicap over a mile-and-a-quarter.

Nigel Tinkler's Malton stable ended a six-month drought at Thirsk on Friday when his wife, Kim, galvanised Drum Dance to nail Patternmaker by a short-head.

Her services are once required for Apache Point (7.05), fancied to continue the yard's revival in Wolverhampton's Betfred Treble Odds Banded Stakes.

Not only is Apache Point's turf form is arguably far better than the majority of his opponents in this evening's lowly affair, he also demonstrated an aptitude for the all-weather circuit when third to Air Of Esteem at Southwell at the beginning of the month.

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