RAPHAEL bids to go one better in the Gods Solution Handicap at Catterick today having finished runner-up in the race 12 months ago.

On that occasion Tim Easterby's mare failed by a neck to catch Shanook, but that only tells half the story since she was drawn out in the cheap seats and in the circumstances ran a blinder from stall 16.

Raphael (3.50) has now been a little luckier, plucking the number 11 berth out of the hat, and since we know she goes well when fresh gets the nod for each-way thieves trying to get one over on the bookies.

In the following catterickbridge.co.uk Handicap, The Persuader (3.20) is bound to be the subject of significant support in view of the fact Mark Johnston's stable has made such a bright start to the current campaign.

As Mark explained to readers of Racing North, The Persuader will eventually turn his attentions to the National Hunt arena. Meanwhile though, there are plenty of decent staying prizes to be picked up, starting with this afternoon's mile-and-three-quarter contest.

Fellow Middleham handler, Patrick Haslam, might also be in the money via Yankiedoodledandy (4.50) in the closing Yarm Handicap.

Haslam's progressive three-year-old has hardly put a foot wrong on the all-weather track at Southwell this winter, finishing either first or second on his last five outings. The switchback to turf is not expected to inconvenience Yankiedoodledandy, in with a great chance of routing his 11 rivals.

Top-weight might not be enough to anchor King Flyer (3.10) in the longest race on the card at Nottingham, the two-mile Colston Bassett Handicap.

Canny Newmarket trainer, Julia Fieldon, has taken the precaution of giving her eight-year-old a pipe opener at Lingfield 23 days ago. Hopefully that spin will have brought King Flyer nicely to the boil in order to account for a distinctly modest looking field.

Octogenarian Reg Hollishead has his Upper Longdon string in fine fettle, so it may prove unwise to ignore potential big-priced outsider, Prince Of Gold (4.40), in the Roseland Group Classified Stakes.

Prince Of Gold, already a winner at the course over one-mile, has always shaped as if an extra couple of furlongs could bring about further improvement, in which case the four-year-old may turn out to be one to follow over the coming months.

The final 18-runner Conference Centre Handicap is so wide-open that any losing punters hoping to retrieve their respective losses are on something of a hiding to nothing.

None the less a tip has to be found and given that Quickstyx (5.10) made a winning debut on the Polytrack at Lingfield in January, she must be quite highly thought of by Mick Channon.

The Night Shift filly is bred to get better with age and Channon's decision to save her for the grass, rather than persist on the man-made surfaces, is a hint worth taking at the Midlands venue.

l Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has thrown his weight behind an initiative to attract a new breed of racegoer to Britain's tracks, writes SIMON MILHAM.

The British Horseracing Board and football's Premiership have formed an alliance which will result in Haydock Park hosting a football-themed raceday on Sunday, July 11, 'Football Furlong'.

It is designed to tap into the enormous crossover interest between the two sports.

Ferguson said: ''Football Furlong is set to become a terrific new day in the racing calendar. It's one of the freshest events horseracing has seen for a long time.