BEYOND THE CLOUDS (3.40) will be many backers' idea of the banker bet at Leicester this afternoon.

The John Wainwright-trained sprinter came agonisingly close to recording an overdue first success of the season when edged out by a nostril at Doncaster's recent St Leger meeting.

Finishing such a close second is a bitter pill to swallow, but the fact that the winner, Malapropism, rather unfairly in my view carried Beyond The Clouds off a straight line made the loss even harder to bear for connections.

At least the selection has lived to fight another day and since he's dropped a few pounds in the official ratings it means the gallant eight-year-old, who has been such a magnificent standard-bearer for the his small stable over the years, is in pole position to regain the winning thread.

Michael Jarvis and his retained jockey Philip Robinson are a potent combination when on song with the likes of Haunting Memories (3.05) and Zameyla (4.40), both of which made the winners' circle last time out.

Haunting Memories seems perfectly primed to step up in grade for the Kegworth Novice Stakes having opened his account at York in spirited style.

Courage is a major asset in a juvenile, and Robinson had to be at his most forceful in the saddle on the Knavesmire as the pair appeared all but cooked with one hundred yards to travel.

Such tenacity under the heaviest of pressure is the sign of a horse with a big heart, and seeing as the two-year-old is almost certain to make further improvement now that he's being tried over seven-furlongs, Haunting Memories is unlikely to have his colours lowered at the Midlands venue.

Zamelya's chance in the later one-mile Highfield Classified Stakes is pretty clear-cut having savaged his nine rivals with a facile five-length victory at Salisbury last Tuesday.

It was win which came after a long absence, plus a first try on really soft ground.

There's a distinct possibility that fitness-wise he'll be an even stronger candidate this afternoon, neither will the easing underfoot conditions at the track cause him any inconvenience.

Finally to Chepstow where Green Ridge (5.30) is worth a speculative each-way punt at odds likely to be 25-1 or better.

Formerly with Paul d'Arcy at Newmarket, the three-year-old filly is now in the capable hands of Anna Newton-Smith, who has encouragingly booked the brilliant young apprentice, Hayley Turner, to help rekindle the enthusiasm of her new inmate.

There's been shed loads of rain in area over the past 72 hours and Green Ridge, a proven performer on a soft surface, could just surprise some far more fancied rivals in a wide-open race for the closing one-mile October Handicap.

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