Inspector sniffs scent of victory

9:22am Thursday 3rd July 2008

INSPECTOR CLOUSEAU (7.45) deserves victory at Redcar this evening after the disappointment of twice having to settle for second place.

Tom Tate's gelding got off the mark on his final start of 2007, but this season luck has not been on his side as far as following up that inaugural victory goes.

Nineteen days ago at York it was a case of so near yet so far for Inspector Clouseau, who, having led for the entire contest, was cruelly gunned down close home.

Despite being beaten, front-running tactics do appear to suit the consistent three-year-old, fancied this time to hang on until the bitter end.

The card gets under way with a six-furlong sprint in which eight-time previous winner Ryedane bids to improve an already wonderful career record.

Year in year out Ryedane (6.10) pays for his board and lodgings at Tim Easterby's Great Habton base, where the staff love him to bits.

It's only a matter of time before the six-year-old strikes again and judged by his promising fourth at Musselburgh on Monday, he's on the verge of win number nine.

Backing top-weights in nurseries is a tried-and-tested formula, so it will be no surprise should Rievaulx World (6.40) prevail in the only two-year-old race of the night.

Wide-margin juvenile scorers are normally worthy of recall, therefore Kevin Ryan's colt went into plenty of notebooks when collecting by nearly five lengths at Ripon, The writing was on the wall for Let It Be (8.15) on her latest visit to the track before she'd even entered the stalls because the mare drifted like a barge in the betting.

Sure enough, down the home straight the leaders left her for dead, only a late rally propelling the sevenyear- old into third spot.

The advice to anyone thinking of investing on Let It Be is to wait until the last minute, and then only have a bet if the market vibes are positive.

Backing red-hot favorites has never been my bag, however I can't envisage Royal Dignitary (8.50) losing the Tees Valley Community Foundation Claiming Stakes.

To use a racing metaphor, Royal Dignitary is a distance clear of his rivals, according to the official BHA ratings and should oblige with the minimum of fuss.

Leave the nightcap to the unexposed Sweet Sara (9.20), who looks chucked in at the weights for the Fillies' Handicap.

Clive Brittain's Newmarket raider has every chance of making a triumphant debut in handicap company after recently running fourth in a strong Newbury maiden.