DARRYLL HOLLAND is fancied to sustain his challenge for this season's Flat jockeys' championship by booting home Halicardia at Newbury today.

Holland, who is lurking just behind reigning champ Kieren Fallon in the race for the title, was aboard Halicardia (3.45) when the combination scored a last-gasp success at Goodwood in May.

"It might not have looked like it from the grandstand, but I was always going to catch the leaders," revealed Darryll following that narrow neck victory on the spectacularly beautiful Sussex course.

Newbury might not be so pretty, however the more galloping nature of the track, plus the marginally longer distance the selection has to travel, should ensure Halicardia's backers are not submitted to such a nail-biting climax for the Listed Lord Weinstock Memorial Stakes.

The fact that Frankie Dettori has been snapped up for Pop Up Again (3.15) suggests Alan Swinbank means business in the cantorodds.com Handicap.

It normally spells trouble for the bookies when he takes his horse south from his Melsonby-near-Richmond base, so they might well have to don their tin hats if the connections of Pop Up Again decide to have a tilt at the ring.

Admittedly Swinbank's gelding cut little ice on his comeback run at Ayr but it could still pay to keep the faith because in all probability the four-year-old lacked an edge of fitness on that occasion.

Nigel Tinkler has decided to try Tre Colline (4.10) on fibresand following the five-year-old's wretched effort at York last time out.

Sometimes it is wise simply to put a line through such dismal performances, especially as paddock inspection revealed Tre Colline to be in magnificent physical nick beforehand.

Perhaps it was the application of the first-time headgear that unhinged the horse. Whatever the reason, I believe he is capable of far better and is definitely worth chancing in the one-mile Doreen Paterson Handicap at Southwell.

Malcolm Jefferson's fortunes have taken a turn for the worse over the past couple of years, but it is lack of firepower, rather than an inability to produce the goods, which has precipitated his downfall.

He is having to resort to bottom-of-the-barrel stuff by entering Sea Cove (5.15) in the Howlin' Wolf Banded Handicap, nevertheless it is a tactic worth adopting since the filly improved out of all proportion when tried on the man-made surface in April.

David Thompson, on the mark with the 10-1 shot Book's Way at Market Rasen yesterday, has a terrific chance of following up with Sovereign State (7.45) at Uttoxeter's evening fixture over the sticks.

Thompson, who trains at the village of Bolam, not far from Darlington, has done exceptionally well with Sovereign State, a game short-head scorer at Cartmel on his most recent start in late May.