PATRICK HASLAM generally unearths at least one decent juvenile per year and this season Kinnaird comes pretty near the top of the pile.

Haslam's smart filly won her first two starts at Hamilton and as a result had to shoulder top-weight in a white-hot nursery at Pontefract last time out. Not surprisingly Kinnaird wilted under her welter-burden at the south Yorkshire venue and eventually had to settle for fifth spot.

Maybe that initial venture into handicap company came too soon for Kinnaird, who will be far more at home in the weakly-contested six-runner Lewis Gelpel Challenge Cup Conditions Stakes at Thirsk today.

The only real danger to the selection appears to be Mick Channon's Pivotal Guest, however, the Lambourn-based opponent may find the concession of 4lbs to his northern counterpart an impossible ask on this occasion.

This column has long championed the cause of the promising young local apprentice Suzanne France and the teenage jockey has repaid our faith with no less than four victories on her guv'nor Neville Bycroft's Efidium (5.20).

The combination bid to make it five in the closing Levy Board Handicap and despite having to carry a 6lb penalty for their success at Carlisle a week ago is fancied to go in again.

Ascot's two-day Diamond meeting kicks off with a brace of typically hard-to-solve handicaps including the two-mile Brown Jack Stakes.

The race features the reappearance of Martin Pipe's Sindapour, a winner at the Royal meeting but now poised to play second fiddle to Mark Johnston's Kahyasi Princess (2.45).

Johnston's record at the course is second to none and his Middleham raider can keep the flag flying having won three of her last five races.

In the following six furlong Showcase Handicap take note of Golden Dixie (3.20), a lightly-raced and hence relatively unexposed sprinter trained by rookie handler Andrew Balding.

Andrew only took over from his father Ian at the start of March, nevertheless he has wasted no time at all in making his mark, most notably when scooping the Group 1 Epsom Oaks with Passing Glance.

Golden Dixie is clearly not in that league, although that is not to say he'll be out of the winners' enclosure for long judged on his recent second to stable-mate Lochridge at Newbury.

Last month the 51-year-old 11-time former champion jockey Pat Eddery announced his intention to hang up his boots at the end of the season.

Thankfully for his supporters Pat still has plenty of fire in his belly and linking the popular Irishman's mounts at Newmarket this evening together in doubles and trebles could result in a tidy profit.

The four runners for punters to concentrate on are Essex (6.15), Balmont (6.45), Dorchester (7.45), and Salinor (8.45), all of whom are trained within a stone's throw of the track and have leading prospects in their respective races.

* Followers of JANUS were in the money yet again yesterday when both the nap selection Erracht (3-1), and next best Winthorpe (9-4), obliged at Bath to record a 12-1 double.

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