Alpha attracts at Beverley

Bryan Smart’s six-year-old benefits from dip in class

ALPHA DELPHINI has been highly tried of late but can feel the benefit of a dip in class in the Eddie And Violet Smith Conditions Stakes at Beverley.

Bryan Smart’s speedball shed his maiden tag on the Westwood a couple of years ago and produced what was comfortably a career-best performance at the time when landing the Beverley Bullet last summer.

He has found life tougher since, locking horns with some of the best sprinters around on several occasions.

The six-year-old was last seen defending his Beverley Bullet crown and was far from disgraced in finishing seventh – beaten just a couple of lengths by subsequent Group Three winner Take Cover – after breaking from widest of all.

Alpha Delphini is more favourably positioned in stall three for this six-runner contest and is well treated by the conditions of the race.

KOHINUR is Newmarket-based trainer Hugo Palmer’s only runner on the card and the hint should be taken.

The daughter of Dubawi was beaten just half a length into second on her racecourse debut on the July Course, and the form is rock solid with the third (Gold Star), fourth (Ouja) and sixth (Turnpike Trip) all winning since.

UNIFIED rates the best bet on the Polytrack at Lingfield.

Clive Cox’s filly was runner-up here on her introduction and, after further efforts at Newbury and Windsor, struck gold for the first time with a narrow success on fast ground at Bath.

With soft ground prevailing in most parts of the country, it is no surprise to see her revert to an artificial surface for the Happy 80th Birthday Eddie Childs Handicap, and an opening mark of 74 looks fair. SELECTIONS: BEVERLEY: 2.10 Tarnhelm, 2.45 Weellan, 3.15 Equiano Springs, 3.50 ALPHA DELPHINI (NAP), 4.25 Pioneering, 4.55 Kohinur, 5.25 Inspector Norse, 5.55 Life Knowledge.

LINGFIELD: 2.00 Pepper Street, 2.35 Gripper, 3.05 Night Generation, 3.40 Spanish Star, 4.15 Pretty Passe, 4.45 Unified, 5.15 Exquisite Ruby, 5.45 Silver Dixie. DOUBLE: Alpha Delphini and

Kohinur.