Escape Clause is a false favourite in the 3.50 Sandown; he is a morning glory - works well at home but 'ducks it' on the racecourse. Desert Authority has been working well but you can never discount a Tregoning runner of this sort. While the Stoute favourite is a hot-pot (the situation won't last), you can back Desert Authority and save on the Tregoning

5pts win DESERT AUTHORITY
1pt win MULAAZEM both 3.50 Sandown

Mick Channon should land the opener at Bath with Bataleur, but the each-way bet of the meeting is Me (4.35) who is the lead horse for Dutch Art at home and can now come into his own in a small field of moderate animals.

2pts each way ME 4.35 Bath

And the Channon horse I want to be on is Rocamadour (7.30) at York tonight. At home he is a lot better on fast ground than Hazeymm and Championship Point.

5pts win ROCAMADOUR 7.30 York

2.05 Market Rasen: The bees are buzzing as ever around a Pipe contender and A.P.'s mount, leaving DUNE RAIDER at a nice each-way price for a horse that just does enough and is down near the bottom of the handicap.

2pts each way DUNE RAIDER @ 9-1

3.30 Newbury: A tough sprint followed by a very open mile-straight handicap, then this 23-runner lottery! But is it such a lottery ? If the race follows the stats, only certain trainers with horses drawn very high or low can win it.

The pace seems to be with the high numbers, and NINA BLINI is drawn highest of all. Fillies do well in this race and she can get Royal Ascot revenge on Gilded, who has an awkward stall-14 draw. ICE MOUNTAIN has been well backed this morning (master tactician Philip Robinson rides from the 18 box).

1pt e.w. each ICE MOUNTAIN 9-1
and NINA BLINI @ 12-1

The John Smith's Handicap at York (3.55) is Saturday's main event and the prize pool of £150,000 has guaranteed a competitive - if slightly sub-standard renewal.

Top weight is I'm So Lucky who made all the running to win the Wolferton Handicap at Royal Ascot - springing a 16-1 surprise. That win launched a real resurgence of form for trainer Mark Johnston who saddled another two winners on the same card and has been in good form since.

Favourite in the Ascot race was Public Forum who disappointed when back in 12th but may be worth another chance today. He was hitherto unbeaten and went into the race the 7-2 favourite on the strength of wins at Goodwood, Nottingham and Sandown. He wasn't given a hard race once his chance had gone at Ascot and his finishing position is deceptive. With I'm So Lucky burdened with an extra 5lb for his win, Public Forum is given another chance to recover punters losses.

Impeller makes a lightning quick reappearance after his win at Epsom on Thursday night when he started the 14-1 outsider of four. However, he is a little quirky these days and his form shows that Epsom is a course that he enjoys. York is a different track altogether.

Great Plains won nicely over this trip at Salisbury and appeals as a sound each-way proposition. He's been relatively lightly raced and could still be well handicapped.

Recommended Bets
1 point each way PUBLIC FORUM
1 point each way GREAT PLAINS

The speed merchants take centre stage at Newmarket on Friday with the six furlong July Cup the highlight of the three-day Festival.

Seventeen runners go to post and form students will be focussing on the Golden Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot for clues. The first five home that day take each other on again today and punters will be looking for an easier to predict race today. Les Arcs (33-1) beat Balthazar's Gift (50-1) at Ascot - in one of the biggest upsets of the season so far.

Les Arcs had previously been better known for his all-weather exploits rather than a Group 1 sprinter - and almost incredibly has an eighth of 12 over two miles at Cartmel in his form figures from 2004 !!

However, it may be foolhardy to dismiss the win as a total fluke and there is no reason why Les Arcs shouldn't excel himself again - however Takeover Target (third in the Golden Jubilee) made a bold bid to win his second race of the week at Royal Ascot and after a break may get a lot closer. He has fared well with a number one draw so will have the rail to help his challenge.

He looks one to keep on the right side of and we'll couple him with a longer priced selection.

There was a 22-1 winner of this race last year and at around those odds if not bigger Ashdown Express maybe worth a small investment each-way.

Like Takeover Target, he is also a seven-year-old and has run well in this race in the past.

Recommended Bets
2 points win TAKEOVER TARGET
1 point each-way ASHDOWN EXPRESS

The fillies take centre stage at Newmarket on Wednesday when small but select fields go to post for today's two feature races - the Cherry Hinton Stakes at 2.35 and the Falmouth Stakes at 3.10.

In the Falmouth, no surprises that Soviet Song heads the market as favourite to make history and win this race for third time in-a-row.

She beat the odds-on Attraction in 2004 and then easily accounted for Alexander Goldrun last year when today's rival Peeress was back in third. There's no obvious reason why Sir Michael Stoute's runner should turn that form around.

Soviet Song comes to this race in great heart fresh from winning the Windsor Forest Stakes at Royal Ascot in style. That was arguably not the greatest quality Group 2 event so she had every right to win it well.

Whether she represents good value is debatable as the presence of NANNINA could spoil the party.

Three years younger than the favourite, Nannina came unstuck in soft ground (and a less then perfect preparation) in Speciosas Guineas but then shone last time out at Royal Ascot when winning the Group 1 Coronation Stakes a race over the same one mile and good to firm ground that she will encounter today.

He price looks a much better proposition in a race where the formbook says the pair will dominate.

We'll stake in such a way that well happily take a small loss on Soviet Song but go for the profit on Nannina.

3.10 RECOMMENDED BETS

1 point win SOVIET SONG
2 points win NANNINA

Kieren Fallon's immediate fate is again in the balance as his legal team launch their appeal against his suspension at the HRA on Wednesday.

Fallon will not be at the hearing as he has six booked rides at Naas. He is still allowed to ride in his native Ireland. Speculation is that Fallon's lawyers may try to persuade the panel to allow Fallon to ride in Group races.

Rumours of a jockeys strike in support of Fallon and the two other suspended riders Darren Williams and Fergal Lynch have been dismissed as nonsense.

You can be sure that a lot of punters will have a view on whether his appeal will succeed or not - but so far in this country the outcomes of legal cases are not permitted to be wagered upon.

Quite unlike the States where bookmakers will quite openly take bets on the outcome of far more serious cases including murder.

Newbury stage a typically competitive night's racing on Thursday when big fields are the order of the day.

Trainer Mick Channon is in good form and often introduces some of his best two-year-olds at the course - so it will be well worth following FEREEJI in the 6.30 race - a race he won last year with Queen Of Fire. Channon also saddles newcomer Moddlij in this year's race - but jockey bookings suggest that Fereeji, under Tony Culhane is the one most likely to make an impact. Fereeji is well-bred and will hopefully start at a price big enough to make him a cast-iron each-way bet.

Only Kilburn and Tracer have racecourse experience and the former shaped well on his racecourse debut at Goodwood when third to Prince Of Elegance and should improve for that run.

Racing has yet again hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons with the news on Monday that City of London police have charged 11 people - including former champion jockey Kieren Fallon - as their ongoing investigation into horse racing corruption.

Police said the charges were in relation to allegations of fixing the outcomes of races between December 1, 2002 and September 2, 2004.

It remains unclear whether Fallon will be allowed to continue to ride - although he has been cleared to race in Ireland.

Denis Egan, chief executive of the Irish Turf Club, said: 'Basically the situation in Ireland is that he will be able to continue to ride.

'The licensing committee will obviously note what has happened but as far as we are concerned Kieren Fallon is innocent until proven guilty.'

The police swoops followed alleged irregular betting on the internet exchange Betfair.

Betfair passed records from its tracking of betting patterns to the Jockey Club.

Whilst betting exchanges have proved revolutionary for punters they have also undoubtedly opened a door of opportunity for race fixers.

The outcome of this case will be pivotal - not just for betting exchanges but for punters confidence in horse racing generally. If the charges are proven the damage could be irreversible.