FINDING winners on the final day of Glorious Goodwood looks even more difficult than usual with the possible exception of Karen's Caper (2.30) in the Group 1 Nassau Stakes.

John Gosden's high-class filly finished fourth in the 1000 Guineas, a performance she stepped up on in no uncertain terms when touched off by Maids Causeway in Royal Ascot at York's Coronation Stakes.

Karen's Caper was then a cracking fourth to Soviet Song at Newmarket but, crucially, now steps up to ten furlongs for the first time. It does appear as if the selection has been screaming out for a try over today's longer trip and I don't believe she'll disappoint.

Mark Johnston's team has been sparkling all week at the Sussex Festival so it will be no surprise if Michaels Pride (2.00) keeps up the good work for the Middleham stable in the opener.

Michaels Pride has won four of her last seven races, not to mention finishing second in the other three. No trainer could ask for more than that, especially as she tends to win by small margins and therefore has only been edging higher in the ratings, rather than rocketing up the weights.

Kevin Ryan has a whole host of speedy two-year-olds in his stable, including High Curragh (2.45), a good bet to win Thirsk's Hertel Nursery.

Despite blowing his chance with a tardy start on his Beverley bow, High Curragh still managed to grab third spot.

Having learnt from that experience, the chunky youngster made no mistake at Ayr last time out, asserting his authority with a narrow yet decisive victory over the favourite, Frank Crow.

Ryan, who trains only a few miles up the road from the track, has found another excellent opportunity for High Curragh, potentially thrown in at the weights for the five-furlong dash.

One mile on soft ground represents the optimum conditions for Nevada Desert (3.55), a leading contender in the Ekos Consulting Handicap.

Having prevailed over course and distance much earlier on this year, Richard Whitaker's gelding has failed to add to that springtime success.

He's a somewhat unpredictable and nervy character but possesses plenty of ability and should not be discounted, even if sweating up in the paddock beforehand.

Although Northallerton-based farmer and permit-holder Edwin Tuer doesn't have too many runners on the Flat, the ones he does send out, such as Villago (5.00), are generally worth noting.

Despite going off at odds of 20-1 at Beverley, Villago beat all bar one of his 16 rivals at the beginning of the month.

The five-year-old seems bound to be facing eight flights of hurdles before too long but in the meantime there could be money to be made on the level, starting with the two-mile Richmond Castle Handicap.

Nuit Sombre, an old favourite of this column and now with his third trainer, might yet have the class to defy his outside draw in stall 20 at Doncaster.

The son of Night Shift began life with Mark Johnston, then went jumping for Nicky Henderson, and is now in the capable hands of John O'Shea.

Nuit Sombre has won for all three of those handlers, latterly at Haydock, where he ran riot with a fluent all-the-way victory.

Not unnaturally the Official Handicapper took a dim view of that romp and blasted him up 9lbs. Admittedly it is a bit of downer, but for the record he's actually still feasibly weighted on the pick of his 2003 form.

Robert Winston flies north from Thirsk to Hamilton in a bid to maintain his lead at the top of the Flat jockeys' championship.

Winston rides the Scottish track particularly well and has every chance of notching a treble courtesy of Bessemer (6.50), Lake Hero (7.20), plus Newmarket raider Patternmaker (8.20).

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