SUMMER SHADES (3.30) represents a thoroughly topical tip at Redcar this afternoon.

Baking hot sunshine over the past few days means the ground will ride very fast at the track, but that won't worry Summer Shades, who proved her effectiveness on similar surfaces by knocking in wins at both Pontefract and Windsor during the course of her profitable 2003 campaign.

Mark Brisbourne's money-spinning mare lines up for the Anderson Barrowcliff Fillies' Handicap, a race she not only won in 2002, but also finished runner-up in 12 months ago, facts which suggest the consistent six-year-old is almost sure to again play a leading role for the one-mile showdown.

Opposing Darryll Holland's mount, Beautiful Mover (4.00), in the following Methuselah Maiden Stakes, is not something your financial advisor is likely to advocate.

Despairingly for connections, the John Hills-trained juvenile was mugged right on the line when beaten a short head on her debut at Newmarket. She was the subject of a major gamble that day, backed from 10s to 5-1, so the cat is now well and truly out of the bag as far as her level of ability goes.

With the benefit of the experience, plus the extra edge of fitness, Beautiful Mover can live up to her name by the winning the £5,000 six-furlong dash with the minimum of fuss.

Could the owners of Richtee, a leading contender in the closing Salmanazar Handicap, have been taking the biscuit when they named their horse?

Whatever the reason, it is no joke that Richtee has to shoulder the crushing burden of top-weight in the mile-and-a-quarter event, and in the circumstances a more circumspect each-way bet on Middleham Rose (5.00) is recommended.

Patrick Haslam's daughter of Dr Fong had the rest well in arrears when chasing home True To Yourself at Wolverhampton in April, an effort which hinted that she might be capable of paying her way over the next few months.

Much farther afield, Haslam opts to send Dalida (4.45) all the way down from his Middleham base to take part in the Knight & Co Handicap at Salisbury.

The lightly-raced Dalida has only demonstrated a modicum of promise on her last couple appearances, but Haslam has picked out a very weak seven furlong heat, which combined with the booking of Kieren Fallon, leads me to believe the long trip should not be in vain.

Kelly Harrison's prowess in the saddle has not gone unnoticed with David Nicholls, who has snapped up the extremely talented young amateur jockey to partner Rajam (8.20) in Chester's Edward Homes & Bryn Thomas Handicap.

Rajam didn't fire on all cylinders at Ayr ten days ago and is far better judged on his previous success at Musselburgh, where he battled back like a lion having at one stage looked shot to bits with only a furlong to travel.

With front-runners generally boasting an excellent record at the course, the habitual pace-setter, Movie King (7.50), makes plenty of appeal in the preceding Bank of Scotland Handicap.

Movie King just loves to bowl along in front and provided his rider gets the fractions right and gradually winds up the speed at the head of affairs, the anticipated catch-me-if-you-can tactics stand a great chance of giving his rivals the slip.

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