THE draw bias on the straight course at Glorious Goodwood is very pronounced in favour of the high numbers, a factor which should play into the hands of the strongly-fancied northern raider Undeterred (5.35) in the closing six furlong handicap.

An even more telling statistic relates to the well being of David Barron's stable, currently boasting an impressive 36 per cent strike-rate by virtue of firing in eight winners from the last 33 runners.

Having finished third in both the 2001 and 2002 Stewards' Cup over course and distance, Undeterred's claims are pretty clear-cut, especially as he races off a 6lb lower mark than last year.

Neither did the selection do his chances any harm by running a blinder at Hamilton recently, where only the much-improved Celtic Mill got the better of him. The form of that race has been franked since by the third-home Quito's victory in the Beeswing Stakes at Newcastle, all of which points to Undeterred's superiority to today's opposition.

Barry Hills has unearthed a really exciting three-year-old in the shape of Tantina (2.40), bidding to maintain her 100 per cent record in the Listed Oak Tree Stakes.

Having won her maiden at a common canter at Haydock, Tantina then followed up in far stronger company at Yarmouth. There's no doubt she has to improve again in order to get some black type beside her name, however, that seems to be the most likely outcome having witnessed the manner with which Tantina has crushed her rivals to date.

The £100,000 William Hill Showcase Handicap has attracted a maximum 22-runner field of which a case can be made for virtually every single participant.

The one-mile feature has long been the target for Unshakable (3.15), reckoned by trainer Bob Jones as "one of the best horses I've ever had in my yard." Jones has certainly brought his useful four-year-old to boil at exactly the right moment, Unshakable having failed by only a head to concede a whopping 19lb to the well-handicapped Definite Guest at Newbury.

Darasim, successful over one-mile-and-six-furlongs on day one of the meeting, returns to the fray in double-quick time to try and repeat his 2002 win in the 12-furlong Glorious Rated Stakes.

Such course specialists have been a feature of the racing at the track for many a moon and Darasim, under the expertise of arguably the best front-running jockey in the land, Joe Fanning, has all of the right credentials to top up his already considerable earnings at the Sussex venue. Finding the answer to a couple of ultra-competitive sprints at Thirsk is not going to be easy, although I still have no hesitation in recommending each-way wagers on Brigadore (3.00) and La Corujera (3.35).

Of the two, La Corujera is potentially the best value as I believe she has plenty of untapped potential and could therefore oblige at rewarding odds. For the nap selection, Nottingham-bound Creskeld (7.45) gets the nod in the Konica East Direct Handicap.

Given his all-weather rating in the mid-80's, Creskeld is absolutely thrown in at the weights off a turf mark of just 67. Take off another 3lb for Paul Scallan's apprentice allowance, plus the fact Creskeld is finally being tried back on a left-handed track, and hopefully the gamble will be landed.

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