SIMON WHITWORTH, who celebrated his 41st birthday by riding a winner at Wolverhampton yesterday, heads to Lingfield this afternoon where he reckons Roman Quintet (12.35) will also be in the money.

"I'll be very disappointed if Roman Quintet gets beaten as I don't think he'll be inconvenienced by the step back to five furlongs," said Whitworth. To date his mount has been tried over seven and six furlongs, always showing plenty of early pace.

It didn't take much working out that the speedy three-year-old might be suited by the minimum trip and trainer David Arbuthnot has come to the same conclusion and entered Roman Quintet for the five furlong Bet Direct Maiden Stakes.

By the very nature of the contest, it's not over-blessed with superstars and therefore should in reality represent fairly easy pickings for Whitworth and partner.

Few jockeys ride the sand better than Neil Callan, expected to put up a very bold show aboard Gone'n'dunnett in the six-furlong Handicap at 2.05.

No great shakes on turf, Gone'n'dunnett's rating is around 20lb superior on the all-weather circuit, whether it be on the Fibresand at Wolverhampton or Lingfield's much quicker Polytrack surface.

He likes to be tucked in behind the leaders prior to launching a late strike, tactics that dovetail perfectly with Gone'n'dunnett's low draw in stall number five.

Further north at Southwell, Susan's Dowry has the ideal credentials to take the purse for the opening mile-and-three-furlong Handicap at midday.

Don't panic if the seven-year-old mare doesn't appear on the scene until the closing stages since the key to winning on her is to play the waiting game.

Robert Winston will be fully aware he has to ride a patient race on Susan's Dowry, who needs to hit the front as late as possible to be placed to the best possible advantage.

Mark Johnston is poised to land a treble courtesy of Herne Bay (1.30) and Big Luciano (2.30), neither should his four-year-old filly, Miss Holly (2.00), be ignored on her first try on the man-made track.

* Inca Trail booked his place alongside his illustrious full-brother Best Mate, last year's Tote Gold Cup winner, at the Cheltenham Festival after opening his jumping account at the second attempt in the 1871 Maiden Hurdle at Ludlow yesterday.

The Henrietta Knight-trained seven year-old did not win quite as comfortably as his starting price of 1-4 suggested he would, but he was always pulling out enough to get the better of 66-1 chance Buckby Lane by three-quarters of a length.

With the third horse Personal Assurance a distance further adrift, the form could be useful

Miss Knight said: ''We will go back to two miles with him next time. He takes too much out of himself when you try to settle him.

"He is quicker than Best Mate at home and is like a coiled spring, once he sees daylight he is gone.

Davy Russell gained his first success for Tom George and his first for an 'outside stable' since taking over as first jockey to Ferdy Murphy when giving Royal Beluga won the Ludlow Club Novices' Handicap Chase.

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