MARK JOHNSTON has vowed to give his 19-year-old jockey Keith Dalgleish more high profile chances and the teenager is all set to benefit from his elevated status aboard Nuit Sombre (3.15) in the richest race of the day, the £70,000 Showcase Handicap at Goodwood.

Nuit Sombre carried the nap selection at York last week when ridden by Kevin Darley, but for my money Darley didn't make enough use of the three-year-olds' excellent inside draw.

Instead Kevin preferred to hang on the horse's head and tuck in behind Mister Arjay and Dmitri, the pair emerging from way out in the car park in stalls 14 and 13 respectively. Sadly it was a tactic that spelt trouble from the word go.

First of all Nuit Sombre took a keen hold and had to be restrained, then he was short of room when the pace quickened three furlongs out, and to add insult to injury for each-ways backers, he was "mugged" for third place right on the line.

Truly a race to forget, however it is tempting to steam back in on Nuit Sombre today because he should be better suited by the nine furlong trip, plus is sure to get a stronger early gallop to help subdue his rather headstrong nature.

In the following Predominate Stakes Unigold (3.45) needs to improve on his narrow victory in a Nottingham maiden if he is to cut any ice in the Derby betting.

At least Unigold was only running over a trip of one mile that day and the step up in distance by an extra three furlongs should help his cause no end. Ed Dunlop's three-year-old is a magnificent-looking individual by the relatively unknown Canadian sire, Silver Deputy, a pedigree that indicates he will thrive over middle-distances. Add this to the fact that his jockey Kieren Fallon is unable to do much wrong at present and Unigold rates a strong fancy.

After a drought stretching back a season-and-a-half, Bahamian Pirate (4.20) has finally found the perfect opportunity to nose his way back into the winners' enclosure.

During that time the selection has run a series of fantastic races, including twice being placed in Group 1 company. Nothing boasts that level of form and on all known evidence the David Nicholls-trained sprinter will take all the beating in the M-Real Conditions Stakes.

A pair of Middleham raiders, King Revo and the lightly-weighted Sir Night, have the right sort of profiles to fight out the finish of the sportingoptions.co.uk Handicap at Beverley.

The former just gets the nod on the basis of his fifth placing in a hot handicap run at Ripon last month, form that has worked out particularly well. King Revo (4.00) is a strapping gelding, just the type of individual to give his trainer Patrick Haslam plenty of fun this term.

* ADOBE, the subject of a massive gamble from 8-1 to 4-1 at Bath yesterday, provided another winning nap for followers of JANUS (Colin Woods).

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