MICK EASTERBY'S Top Dirham (3.35) has the class to win the Carlisle Bell with the minimum of fuss this afternoon.

Well into is seventies, but still as sharp as razor, Mick landed a colossal "touch" with Top Dirham at Thirsk in May, the five-year-old gelding backed at all rates from 14's to 4-1 prior to swamping his rivals with a sensational turn of foot.

Jockey Dale Gibson executed the gamble with clinical precision at Thirsk and so it comes as no surprise that Easterby has retained Gibson's services in the saddle, even though the selection was hiked a whopping 13lb in the weights as a result of the victory.

Having taken such a meteoric rise Mick might have been tempted to book a top apprentice in order to take a few pounds off Top Dirham's back, however, analysis of the form book reveals this should not be necessary.

Two years ago when in the care of none other than Sir Michael Stoute, Top Dirham was shooting for the stars at venues such as Ascot off a rating in the low nineties.

Some kind of problem then appeared to drag the son of Night Shift down to such a degree he left Stoute's southern stronghold for less fashionable climes in the north at Sheriff Hutton.

The former connections of Top Dirham might have known he was heading for "bandit" country and sure enough Mick has skilfully nursed his new inmate back to full health with the bonus being his rating is still only 78.

Sir Mark Prescott's Acceleration (4.35) hasn't exactly been living up to his name having singularly failed to speed away from any of his rivals to date.

Such inadequacies can often be negated by running horses over extreme distances and Sir Mark, grasping the fact that he might have a true slow-coach on his hands, has opted to try his horse in the stamina-sapping two-mile-and-one-furlong Persimmon Homes Maiden Handicap.

It's such a bad race that if Acceleration doesn't win then he'll quite possibly be found a new arena in which to operate - jumping. Annoyingly after pencilling in Musical Fair (5.05) as a filly to follow, I then missed her when she bolted home at Warwick.

She's a big strapping sort - just the type to progress and complete a double in the closing six-furlong handicap at the Cumbrian track.

James Given reportedly has his stable-star Hugs Dancer nicely-primed for a crack at this weekend's Northumberland Plate. In the meantime, there are smaller fish to fry at Southwell with Riley Boys (2.20).

Riley Boys has shown immense promise on his two outings at Nottingham and Doncaster so provided the switch to the Fibresand does not inconvenience him too much a first win seems very much on the cards in division in of the St Prosper Maiden Stakes.

Down at Kempton there could be a boil over if Icannshift (8.00) wins the most valuable contest of the evening, the £14,000 British Racing School Handicap.

Having finished virtually tailed off over course and distance 11 days ago, Icannshift is bound to start at long odds for the seven furlong affair. As often is the case the bare result does not tell the whole story and Icannshift actually finished quite strongly have been left at the start.

Given the benefit of a level break, plus the fact Peter Harris's horses are now beginning to catch fire, Neil Pollard's mount might just cause a major upset.

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