Mark Tompkins is praying for rain in his native Yorkshire to aid Ted Spread’s cause in the Ladbrokes St Leger at Doncaster on Saturday week.

Ladbrokes St Leger fancies Midas Touch and Rewilding put their Classic claims on the line in the sportingbet.com Great Voltigeur Stakes at York on Tuesday.

FRANKIE DETTORI believes Rewilding has the right credentials to be a major player in today’s Derby. The popular Italian jockey broke his Derby duck on Authorized in 2007 and admits he would dearly love to win the premier Classic in the Godolphin blue for his boss Sheikh Mohammed.

AIDAN O’BRIEN is a firm favourite to land his third Investec Derby at Epsom tomorrow.

JAN VERMEER has been the subject of an almighty gamble for Saturday’s Investec Derby.

AIDAN O’BRIEN is excited by his Investec Derby squad as he prepares to challenge for a first win in the race since High Chaparral in 2002.

Light From Mars proved strongest as he ran out a comfortable winner of the Best Price Guarantee At coral.co.uk Handicap today, the opening event of York's final meeting this term.

There was a dramatic start to the card at Doncaster this afternoon with the Howard Hughes Memorial Heartbeat Handicap, won by Marvo, decimated by non-runners.

Smokey Oakey heads 87 confirmations for the William Hill Lincoln on the opening day of the Flat turf season at Doncaster on Saturday.

GEORDIELAND and Sixties Icon could be set for a fascinating clash in the CGA Geoffrey Freer Stakes at Newbury on Saturday.

Mark Tompkins is confident Gee Dee Nen’s Shergar Cup victory should be enough for him to work his way into the weights for next week’s totesport Ebor at York.

Gerald Mosse took the starring role on Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup day at Ascot when leading his European team to victory as well as collecting the Silver Saddle trophy for leading rider.

Dame Judi Dench’s Group-winning colt Smokey Oakey is still under consideration for the Juddmonte International Stakes at York on August 19.

High Curragh can defy top-weight in the King Richard III Handicap at Pontefract.

Trainer Alan Swinbank is keen to step Ella up in class so she can try to earn some black type for breeding purposes.

Ella put up a gutsy display in the mud to open her account in the Ladbrokes Fillies’ Handicap at Pontefract.

Paul Hanagan has made a terrific start to the new Flat campaign and booted home another winner in division one of the Alec And Dick 174 Not Out Maiden at Beverley.

Mark Tompkins is rightly feeling pretty pleased with himself after a long-held plan came to fruition in the William Hill Lincoln at Doncaster on Saturday.

Prince Forever is the new favourite with the sponsors for the William Hill Lincoln after leading ante-post fancies Zaahid and Lang Shining both missed the cut for the Doncaster showpiece.

LEADING ante-post fancies Zaahid and Lang Shining both missed the cut for the William Hill Lincoln at Doncaster.

Michael Wigham’s Classic Port has transferred to John Ryan’s yard and is eligible to run in the William Hill Lincoln at Doncaster on Saturday.

The betfair.com Apprentice Series Handicap Stakes at Pontefract may not live long in the memory for many people, but for 17-year-old jockey Ashley Morgan, the rider of Sumner, it will never be forgotten.

Western Art provided Peter Chapple-Hyam with some timely good fortune ahead of Authorized’s assault on the Coral-Eclipse Stakes with a Listed win in the aAIM Dragon Stakes at Sandown.

Filming for the BBC prevented Dame Judi Dench seeing her first winner on a racecourse at Newmarket.

Paul Hanagan got one over on his boss Richard Fahey when Abandon defeated Flying Clarets in a pulsating finish to the feature race at Pontefract.

Mark Tompkins is hoping Franklins Gardens can return to the winner’s enclosure for the first time since May 2005 in tomorrow’s David Wilson Homes Jockey Club Cup at Newmarket.

Magic Echo stunned punters when running out a decisive 66-1 winner of the first division of the EBF/Gosforth Decorating & Building Services Maiden Stakes in the hands of Phillip Makin at Newcastle.

There was drama at the conclusion of the Plumbing Trade Supplies Rating Related Maiden Stakes at Newcastle this afternoon.

CONDITIONS on the Roodee should be perfect for tomorrow’s totesport Chester Cup, for which a maximum field of 18 has been declared for what is the showpiece of the three-day meeting.

Conditions on the Roodee should be perfect for Wednesday’s totesport Chester Cup, for which a maximum field of 18 has been declared for what is the showpiece of the three-day meeting.

HAVING ridden a double at Folkestone 24 hours earlier, Jamie Spencer repeated the trick at Yarmouth yesterday and gave the Michael Bell stable a brace of their own when foiling a major gamble in the Win More At Breckalnd Bingo Thetford Handicap.

Mark Tompkins reports Babodana to be in great shape ahead of his attempt to win a second William Hill Lincoln on Saturday.

Mark Tompkins has reports Babodana to be in great shape ahead of his attempt to win a second William Hill Lincoln on Saturday.

A 123-strong entry has been received for the first major race of the 2006 Flat season, the £100,000 (€146,000) William Hill Lincoln, to be run this year at Redcar on March 25.

Distinction will have a full body scan when he returns to Britain later this week after his disappointing effort behind Makybe Diva in Tuesday’s Emirates Melbourne Cup.

MAKYBE DIVA carved her name into the annals of Australian racing history by claiming a remarkable third consecutive Emirates Melbourne Cup at Flemington yesterday.

Mark Tompkins is hopeful Franklins Gardens will recover from a leg injury in time for the Emirates Melbourne Cup.

Franklins Gardens is in a race against time to be fit for Tuesday’s Emirates Melbourne Cup after pulling up lame following exercise on Friday morning.

Scarlet Knight could be on his way to sunnier climes after justifying heavy market support in the Directory of The Turf Novice Stakes at Lingfield.

Vinnie Roe will bid to firmly entrench himself in the history books at the Curragh tomorrow when trying to land the Irish Field St Leger for the fifth consecutive year.

FOUR-TIME Irish Field St Leger winner Vinnie Roe heads 17 horses confirmed at the five-day stage for the Curragh Classic on Saturday.

Mullins Bay is improving fast and Aidan O’Brien’s colt continued his progress with a narrow but decisive success in the William Hill Poker Grand Prix Strensall Stakes at York today.

Goodwood Cup winner Distinction heads a list of 24 British entries for the Emirates Melbourne Cup in November.

Devon trainer Rod Millman and jockey Alan Munro have built up a highly-successful partnership this season and they plundered their biggest prize to date when Sergeant Cecil ran out a convincing winner of the John Smith’s Northumberland Plate at Newcastle today.