WHIZZING round left-handed bends at break-neck speed has become the hallmark of Brian Ellison's amazing ten-year-old gelding, Fatehalkhair.

Ellison's veteran performer has won an incredible 20 races - but not once on a right-handed track. The majority of those victories have come over the jumps at Sedgefield. However, he has won a few times on the Flat, including a couple of mile-and-a-half successes at Thirsk.

And it is to the popular North Yorkshire venue that he returns this afternoon seeking win number 21 in the Racing Post Handicap. There are two other positives in Fatehalkhair's favour, firstly the forecast fast ground on which he thrives, plus the distance of two miles, a trip he needs nowadays to show his best when not faced by either hurdles of fences.

If you're looking for a star of the future among the apprentice ranks, young Claire Stretton is definitely one for the short-list.

Claire has been booked to partner Erracht (4.45) in the closing five furlong sprint, the Tom Lynch Fillies Handicap. Hopefully she will not have to get serious on Erracht, recently successful at Leicester, but if it does happen to be a nip and tuck finish, Claire's sheer strength in the saddle might well prove to be the deciding factor.

Newcastle's evening meeting kicks off with a one mile Claiming Stakes for two-year-olds.

It's not often that the former Derby winning trainer Willie Haggas has a runner in such a lowly contest, therefore the participation of Flake (5.40) requires the closest scrutiny.

Haggas tried Flake over six furlongs at Redcar last time out, a surprising choice because the stoutly-bred juvenile had already hinted that stamina, rather than speed, would be his forte.

Anyway, the experiment bore no fruit as the selection was left floundering by some far speedier rivals. Having taken all of the evidence into consideration, Haggas now seems to have arrived at the conclusion that eight furlongs will suit, and I believe he is not mistaken.

Kevin Darley is one of several jockeys doing the double-header at both Thirsk and Newcastle, although he might have to wait until the finale at the Tyneside track before booting home one of his best chances of the day, The Old Soldier (8.10), in the Eleanor Hill Handicap.

* Kieren Fallon showed why he is back in demand by turning certain defeat into narrow victory on Russian Rhythm at York.

His mount put up a remarkable display to overcome trouble in running and land the Peugeot Lowther Stakes, and is now red-hot favourite for the Sagitta 1000 Guineas.

But it was the persistence of the champion jockey which was the key. Many riders would have given up on the 8-13 favourite when she was stopped in her run by front-running Wunders Dream entering the final quarter-mile of the Group Two contest. But Fallon would not be denied, switching his mount round the leader and then overcoming a further slight block from Frankie Dettori on Romantic Liason.

Jamie Spencer stole the show at York with a first-class display of tactical riding to win the Victor Chandler Nunthorpe Stakes aboard Kyllachy.

The young Irish rider showed a shrewd tactical brain to escape from a tough-looking draw in stall 15 of 17 and secure a passage through to the favoured far rail from where he pounced to land the £185,000 Group One contest.

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