Royal approval for the Right Approach

The vibes from Newmarket over the past few weeks have been very positive, the Tote in particular laying some hefty bets and clipping the colt's odds from 10-1 to 8-1 following a dazzling gallop by the son of Machiavellian on Saturday.

Interest was further heightened by the news that The Queen had paid a rare visit to Sir Michael Stoute's stable to watch Right Approach put through his paces on Monday morning.

Twenty-five years ago during her Silver Jubilee year The Queen capped a memorable season when Willie Carson booted home Dunfermline to take both the Oaks and St Leger.

Technically the Epsom Derby is an even more prestigious affair and if fate plays its' part, Right Approach (3.25) could conceivably crown the The Queen's Golden Jubilee celebrations with a famous win in arguably the world's most famous flat race.

If there is to be a party-pooper it could easily be our own North Yorkshire raider, Simeon, in fantastic form after routing a decent field at Haydock recently.

Simeon isn't engaged in the Derby, so Mark Johnston's colt has got nothing to lose and everything to gain in today's trial. Clearly he will have a fitness edge over Right Approach, and if it does come to a dog-fight in the closing stages, Johnny Murtagh will be anxious not to give The Queen's star too hard a prep race prior to the real test at Epsom on June 8th.

The mixed meeting kicks off with a cracking £30,000 two mile Chase.

On such firm ground the action will be fast and furious, a factor which will demand inch perfect fencing from Just Jasmine (1.45), whose jumping is normally nothing less than immaculate.

The following £60,000 Masai Hurdle is also a mouth-watering event with five very smart hurdlers facing the starter.

It's hard to make a pick between the quintet, but so impressive was Intersky Falcon (2.15) at Aintree he has to get the vote.

The 17-runner Showcase Handicap over one mile features among others Takes Tutu (3.00), napped by this column when encountering all sorts of traffic problems at Newmarket's' Craven Meeting.

The far more experienced Kevin Darley replaces Keith Dalgleish in the saddle, a switch fancied to bring about a change of fortune for the rapidly-improving three-year-old.

Massive fields at Perth make the business of winner-finding all the more difficult.

Being such a sharp track the old "horses for courses" addage often stands up to the closest inspection. And that being the case local favourite Castle Clear (3.10) makes plenty of appeal in the John Fleming Novices' Handicap Hurdle.

Sue Bradburne's nine-year-old simply doesn't know how to run a bad race, not once finishing out of the frame in his last six starts.

Finally to the lucky last at Wolverhampton where Turtle Recall (5.15) makes his debut on the sand off what appears to be an extremely lenient mark.

Total Turtle made eye-catching late headway in an extended one mile Maiden at Nottingham in March to finish a never-nearer sixth.

The Peter Harris-trained representative has not exactly been thrown in at the deep-end for his handicap debut, giving rise to the theory that he could be a cut above his more exposed and essentially modest rivals.

* Tim Easterby's progressive performer Bollin Eric is to tackle Group company on his next start, the trainer revealed yesterday.

A son of 1996 Vodafone Derby winner Shaamit, the three-year-old landed two mile events as a juvenile and stepped up on that form in his seasonal reappearance at Newmarket last week.

He finished a staying-on third, beaten three-quarters of a length and a neck, behind Epsom hopefuls Playapart and Wahchi in the Feilden Stakes.

Easterby now has the ten furlong Group Two Convergent Communications Dante Stakes at York on May 15 as the target for a colt he has always held in some regard.

''I think we'll run him in the Dante all being well,'' Easterby said. ''He's come out of the race well. He'll improve and we'll take our chance.'