SIR MICHAEL STOUTE has a well-known passion for cricket, but with so many fancied runners up and down the country he'll have trouble keeping tabs on the score in the Test match at Headingly as well as shouting his own horses home.

Stoute lifted the lid on his treasure chest of equine stars at York earlier this week, and came away with high-profile success via Islington and Russian Rhythm, a trend all set to continue at Goodwood this afternoon provided Tough Speed (2.50) struts his stuff in the £70,000 Celebration Mile.

Tough Speed has been performing consistently well in near top-class company this term without ever quite hitting the heights of his 2001 campaign when bagging a brace of big-race victories in the valuable Bradford & Bingley Handicap plus GNER Park Hill Stakes.

Since both of those wins were achieved in late summer, it's pretty safe to assume that this is Tough Speed's time of year, a pointer which will not be lost on followers of stable jockey Kieren Fallon, due once again to do the steering on the money-spinning five-year-old colt.

Talk to many of Fallon's fans and you'd think he could walk on water, such is their level of devotion to the talented Irishman. But even he can't be in two places at once, leaving the door open for Jimmy Fortune to get the leg up on three of Sir Michael's other charges at Newmarket.

First on duty for Fortune at headquarters is Convex (3.55) in the six furlong £25,000 Garrad Bother Nursery.

Convex came good with a bang at Catterick last time out scoring by three lengths, a winning distance which could easily have been doubled had Fergal Lynch pushed his mount right out to the line.

Jimmy then tries his luck on a couple of Stoute's well-touted newcomers, Chic (4.30) and Akshar (5.00), both of whom make plenty of appeal on the strength of their respectively smart pedigrees.

Meanwhile the Stoute/Fallon roadshow rolls on to Windsor's evening meeting where although Gamut is likely to be thwarted by Mark Johnston's Legal Approach (6.10), compensation awaits with Carnival Dancer (6.40) in the following Group 3 Winter Hill Stakes.

Carnival Dancer, winner of the Scottish Classic at Ayr last July, hasn't got nearly as many miles on the clock as his opponents, which suggests he is the one with most scope for improvement.

In the opener at Beverley a high draw paves the way for the front-runner Hormuz (1.30) to get back on the winning trail.

With a sizeable field going to post for the Sporting Options Handicap, it is vitally important to claim the favoured inside rail. The rules state that riders supposedly have to keep their horses more or less straight for the first 100 metres, therefore nothing should technically be able to head Hormuz coming out of stall 15 from as many runners.

Plenty of the usual suspects line-up for the five furlong Betting Exchange Handicap, establishing just whose turn it is today is the difficult part of the equation.

Eric Alson's headstrong Time N Time Again (3.45) at least has an uncomplicated style of running, all his in-form pilot Willie Supple has to do is light the blue touch paper and sit back for a white-knuckle ride.

In the closing Apprentices Maiden Handicap, Chevin (4.45) would not have to be any great shakes in order to break her duck.

There'll be a massive Bank Holiday crowd out for Cartmel's jumping fixture at which Westernmost (3.35) is a confident choice in the Ladbrokes Handicap Hurdle.