THE drinks will be on Red Lion (3.00) at Doncaster this afternoon provided he wins the Westwoodside Handicap.

Brian Meehan's ex-French gelding has taken time to acclimatise to British conditions, in fact he looked a real slow coach when first seen out in the spring.

But Meehan's plan to give the three-year-old a long summer holiday and then bring him back for an autumn campaign appears all set to pay dividends on the evidence of his latest run at Windsor where he made significant late headway to finish fourth.

Alan Berry's normally shrewd outfit failed to land a massive gamble with Francport at Nottingham on Wednesday.

Stable supporters left licking their wounds after that defeat might try to recoup at least some of the incurred losses via Berry's representative Zietenzeen (3.30) in the DBS Bloodstock Yearling Stakes.

She's a very speedy filly with solid credentials including placed form at Royal Ascot and a smooth-as-silk victory at Nottingham.

Should Zietenzeen fail, Santiburi Lad (5.00) could conceivably come to the rescue for the Lancashire-based trainer in the closing Apprentice Handicap.

He simply couldn't lag up over six furlongs at York last time so the decision to step up in distance seems the sensible option.

I can't remember Toby Balding having a top-class two-year-old in his care over recent seasons - a situation about to be remedied if Palace Affair (2.40) prevails in the Group 3 Vodafone Cornwallis Stakes at Newbury.

It was a case of Palace Affair first the rest nowhere when Balding's filly scorched to success in a maiden at Kempton in September. Admittedly she needs to move up another gear in this better company, a task not beyond the realms of fantasy especially as the soft surface should suit.

The testing ground will also be very much in favour of Gaelic Storm (3.40) for the Schroders Showcase Handicap.

Mark Johnston's sprinter revels in the mud and with yet more wet weather forecast he's going to be in totally his element.

Johnston also has a fancied runner on the sand at Wolverhampton where the long striding filly Forum Finale (2.35) might easily outclass her rivals in the Bilston Nursery.

Northern Echo (4.35) tries his luck on a man-made track rather than turf for the first time in the Shifnal Maiden Handicap.

In a contest restricted to horses yet to win a race on the flat, not surprisingly none have particularly convincing profiles.

However considering Northern Echo's best ever performance was achieved over today's trip of a mile-and-a-half at Newcastle on his penultimate outing, he must have an each-way chance in such a lowly event.

Finally to Fakenham where the tight turns are tailor made for nippy types like Keen Waters (2.50) in the BHB Handicap Hurdle.

l The Northern Echo tipster Colin Woods (Janus) was in unstoppable form yesterday with both the nap selection Red Caf (7-1) and next best Tomasino (7-2) obliging