Talking Horses

I much prefer jump racing to Flat but the Craven meeting has a particular thrill of anticipation about it, as all the big-name trainers wheel out their untried youngsters to find out how they compare with their peers.

Mind you, raw ability isn't everything. At this early stage of the year, some trainers have their strings well forward and others are getting beaten every time. Stable form is critical.

With three winners and a second from six runners this month, Jeremy Noseda has clearly got his early types well fired up and his Checklow (2.00) can win the opener in the Dutch Art/Sixties Icon colours of Paul and Susan Roy.

Sixties Icon was well beaten when making his racecourse debut in this race two years ago but Checklow has a fair bit more pace in his pedigree and gallop reports are very positive about him. Predictably, the 5-1 forecast by this morning's papers was never, in fact, available -- he's 3-1 on Betfair, so stakes should be reduced but he's still something to bet on.

Main market rival Tale Of Two Cities comes from the Aidan O'Brien yard, which is having a slow April (one win from 17 starts).

Richard Hannon has won the following two-year-old conditions race four times in the last nine years, and three times in the last four. His Icesolator (2.35) will start a bigger price than those winners but is bred to be precocious and Hannon's youngsters are in typically excellent form (three wins from four 2yo runners so far this year).

I really like Stimulation and Infallible for the next two races but both are set to start favourite and their trainers both sound doubtful about their prospects in the Racing Post this morning, so I can't recommend a bet.

In the closing handicap, there's been a lot of support this morning for Kashimin (5.30). Alan Swinbank's runners are flying just now and this one may prove very well treated, as the easy winner of a soft-looking Pontefract maiden. It's hard to be sure about the effect of the draw but clerk of the course Michael Prosser has done a good job of minimising bias in recent years and Kashimin is at least against a rail.

You can get even money about a good thing at Beverley, where Blue Spinnaker (3.55) has only a 6lb penalty after hosing up at Doncaster last week. That was his first decent form since he was third here last summer, after which he tumbled down the ratings. He's still two stone below his best winning mark.

Of course, there's no guarantee he'll reproduce that running but there was so much market confidence behind Mick Easterby's gelding last week that it's hard not to conclude connections know this one is in great heart and has plenty in hand.

Cheltenham also stage a fascinating, tricky card and I'm surprised to see you can get better than 20-1 about Which Pocket (4.05). Brendan Powell's yard is in form for the first time since November and this 10-year-old was unlucky when well beaten in the Topham last time. He's a course winner, which is so important round here.

Nacarat (3.30) didn't enjoy his first visit to Cheltenham, when pulled up in a decent handicap chase in January. Back over hurdles, however, it may be a different story, as he showed plenty of zip before clouting a couple that day.

This is a horse I really like, though he possibly runs a little too free. He looks the type of chaser to be able to cope with the faster pace of hurdles racing and is 10lb below the mark from which he was a fine second to Natal in the Connaught Gold Cup.

Scots Dragoon (5.15) still has plenty in hand and should win the admittedly competitive last race on the card.

1.15pm Dr Kelso and fetlocks

Good afternoon, gents. I give a lot of respect to Exclamation, Dr Kelso, though it slightly puts me off that the yard only had their first winner of the year the other day. Not such a fan of Fat Boy, fetlocks -- he looks quick to me, and seven furlongs on easy going is not playing to his strengths.

2.10pm Checklow done for toe

A nice debut from Checklow, a big horse who could probably have used a stronger gallop through the early part of the race. Pampas Cat (1st) and Daraahem scooted away from him in the final furlong and the John Gosden-trained winner looks decent, having travelled smoothly before accelerating impressively. This may have been a fair bit better than was expected, judging by the SP of 20-1.

2.30pm Icesolator friendless

Now trading at 12s on Betfair after opening at 6s.

2.40pm Bah. How I hate Flat racing

Icesolator stuffed behind impressive winner Art Connoisseur, which shortened into 11-10 after the Guardian's noted shrewdie Greg Wood was spotted backing it on course. Ouqba ran a nice race to be third, despite a ride which even Richard Hills would probably accept was not his finest.

3.15 Stimulation edges Fat Boy in photo

A masterful ride from Frankie Dettori on Fat Boy, dictating a steady pace and eking every yard out of his mount's stamina, only to be collared on the line by the 15-8 favourite. Fetlocks, you were unlucky -- all the more so because the photo finish print, just shown on Racing UK, looks for all the world like a dead-heat.

It seems to me that judges are more reluctant to call dead-heats these days, but to my naked eye there wasn't so much as a hair's breadth between the first two there and to call one a loser seems wholly unfair.

3.42pm Nacarat out like a light . . .

. . . as soon as the field closed up to him. He might have done enough for the season, having been on the go since September, when he was trained in France. I'd like to see him in a race like the Paddy Power, come November.

Earth Planet won, giving Paul Nicholls and Ruby Walsh a double after Le Duc. Sometimes, this game is not as hard as we make it.

3.50pm Infallible a hugely impressive winner of the Nell Gwyn

I thought Jimmy Fortune was riding with unwarranted confidence early on, as he anchored Infallible out the back, but she cruised past the entire field and was punched out to win easily. Having won this at 7-2, she's now the same price to win the 1,000 Guineas.

4pm Blue Spinnaker unlucky

A poor ride from Paul Mulrennan, who got a dream run through on the rail after failing to get Blue Spinnaker a decent early position. He then allowed Karmest to cut across him just as the gambled-on Harry The Hawk started his run. Blue Spinnaker rallied once switched and was closing all the way to the line -- this has to go down as a bad miss. There's a stewards' inquiry but I don't see how they could throw out the winner.

A frustrating day so far.

4.15pm Which Pocket pulled up

. . . after drifting to 60-1 pre-race.

4.25pm DrKelso will be fuming

Kandahar Run travelled up sweetly to Campanologist and traded at 1-5 in-running but never quite got his head in front. Like so many Mark Johnston-trained runners, Campanologist was hard fit and just kept on keeping on, but you'd have to think that a stronger jockey than Ted Durcan might have got the runner-up home in front.

5pm DrKelso's head to explode

Virtual hoses up at 11-10 for what would have been a 20-1 treble if Kandahar Run had managed to win. Top tipping, DrK, and all I can say is I hope you lumped on Virtual for compensation.

M'colleague Ron Cox thinks I'm being harsh on Durcan -- he reckons Kandahar Run didn't have much left at the end after running free early on, and he may be right, at that.

5.25pm Scots Dragoon routed

Being pushed along with a circuit to go. The winner, naturally, was Oberon Moon, trainer Nicholls, jockey Walsh, 13-2. How annoying.

Prohibit wins last, brings up four-timer for Gosden and Fortune

This morning, you could have argued John Gosden was a little out of form. Not now. That's a 1,785-1 four-timer for the trainer and his jockey, Jimmy Fortune.

On the other hand, Kashimin's disappointing effort brings up seven losers from seven tips for me. Inspiring!

6.40pm FAO Mike65ie

A fine day for you, but if you want credit for those tips, you really should be posting them on here before they reach the winner's enclosure.

Click here for all the day's racecards, form, stats and results.

And click here for today's latest odds.