MONSIEUR BOND, who has been sold to stand at Whistsbury Stud in 2005, still has time to make his name at Group 1 level by picking up this afternoon's £250,000 July Cup at Newmarket.

Bryan Smart's stable talisman has notched Group 3 and Group 2 wins at the Curragh and York so far this year, both times aided by a rain-softened surface.

It would be terrific for the North Yorkshire-trained speedster if he could go one better and with shedloads of the wet stuff forecast for the area, the chances are Monsieur Bond will get conditions to suit.

Given the numerical and international strength of the 20-runner line-up, an each-way punt on the four-year-old is advised, with a similar wager on Moss Vale, who looked a mighty progressive sort for Barry Hills when completing a well-deserved hat-trick at Salisbury last month.

The other big betting race on the card is the seven-furlong Bunbury Cup, an event in which a couple of massive public gambles have been landed in recent years.

Twelve months ago the bookies took a terrible pasting when the 4-1 favourite Patavellian obliged, a result leaving the layers licking their wounds..

This time round it could be an identical bloodbath if the heavily-backed joint ante-post favourite, Coconut Penang (2.20), does the business for Peter Chapple-Hyam.

Formerly with Devon-based Rod Millman, Peter has totally revitalised the son of Night Shift, a gallant runner-up to Lafi in the Wokingham at Royal Ascot.

With a furlong extra to travel, Coconut Penang has found the ideal opportunity to help put Chapple-Hyam back on the training map following his return from a lengthy self-imposed exile in Hong Kong.

In the closing Dullingham Handicap, Whispered Promises (5.10) is fancied to turn the tables on his recent Kempton conqueror, Sangiovese.

Mark Johnston's colt shaped like a good old-fashioned street-fighter when battling to a brace of narrow juvenile wins at Catterick and Beverley in 2003.

His dam was a very useful middle-distance performer in France and everything he's achieved on the track to date suggests Whispered Promises possesses plenty of aces.

The opening Dunnington Apprentice Handicap at Doncaster might well fall to the top-weight, Sudden Flight (6.40).

Although unproven over two miles, Sudden Flight rallied gamely in the final 100 yards when not beaten far into third spot over 14 furlongs at Haydock a week ago.

Not the type to down tools when the effects of the Town Moor's long and demanding home straight begin to take their toll, Sudden Flight's determined attitude is fancied to get his backers off to a flyer