Racing: Stewart can maintain strike rate with speedy Selective

There is a touch of before the Lord Mayor's Show about this afternoon's sport. In terms of class the fare on offer, three days before the start of Royal Ascot, is mostly redolent of the stuff they would be shovelling from the streets of London after the big parade.

But some valuable, competitive handicaps should enliven the entertainment, particularly at York, which stages the 32nd annual Timeform charity day. The object of proceedings on the Knavesmire is to extract money from those who can afford to give it to those who need it. The ploy will have, by the end of today, raised more than £3m since 1971, almost exactly the amount of prize money available in five days in Berkshire next week.

Removing funds from bookmakers' satchels to the deserving destination of punters' pockets may be more problematical. The day's feature, the William Hill Trophy, can be held up as a typical example of a brain-teaser: a 20-runner sprint for three-year-olds which has not produced a successful favourite for 11 years (subsequent Group 1 winner Sheikh Albadou) and winners at 33-1, 25-1 (twice), and 20-1 in the past decade.

Today's market leader is likely to be Just James, who produced one of the more visually extraordinary performances of the season at Newmarket three weeks ago. Tailed off with two furlongs to run, he found a turbo-boost that took him to a cosy three-quarter length victory. However, he may not be an entirely straightforward ride and is worse off today with his two immediate pursuers then, Fayr Jag and Fire Up The Band.

Another pair who reoppose after a recent clash are hat-trick seeking Jonny Ebeneezer who can confirm superiority over his Epsom victim eight days ago, Flur Na H Alba. But overall preference is for lightly-raced Selective (3.20), from Alec Stewart's Newmarket yard. The stable's three-year-olds have a 25 per cent strike rate this term and this one showed plenty of speed when just touched off over a furlong further at Goodwood last time out.

As racegoers found to their cost (or not) at the York May meeting, an inside berth was a huge asset in races on the round course. Which makes the selection of Epicentre (3.55) in the ten-furlong rated stakes perhaps rather perverse. The colt is drawn 14 of 14 but just may be a cut above his rivals (he still holds an entry in the Group 2 King Edward VII Stakes at Royal Ascot) and in Richard Hughes has the man in the saddle to steer him out of potential trouble. His first venture into handicap company at Newbury last month, a close second in a strongly-run 11-furlong contest, reads well.

In the opening nine-furlong handicap Tony Tie (2.15, nap), makes most appeal. This consistent six-year-old always needs a few outings to get off the mark – only on his juvenile debut has he won before June – and his effort at Ayr 15 days ago, when the run of the race went against him, can be forgotten.

At Sandown, Kier Park (2.40) can compensate for his unfortunate run in the Temple Stakes over the same course and distance. The five-year-old would not have beaten the winner Kyllachy, a leading fancy for the King's Stand Stakes on Tuesday, if he had grown wings on all four feet but he was one of the chief sufferers in a rough contest and, with his favoured give, should be good enough today.

Looking forward to the greater glory of Royal Ascot, 18 have been left in the Wednesday showpiece, the Prince Of Wales' Stakes, at the five-day stage. As usual, the big guns are mob-handed in the Group 1 10-furlong contest, with five from Godolphin headed by Noverre and Grandera, and a pair, Bach and Shoal Creek, from Ballydoyle. Other luminaries for the race which was rated the third-highest in class in Europe last year include Nayef, Carnival Dancer, Banks Hill from France and Paolini from Germany. Shoal Creek, who does sterling work at home as a lead horse and on the track as pacemaker, is also among the 54 still left in one of the meeting's major handicaps, the Royal Hunt Cup. But one of the ante-post favourites is not; the die has been cast for Nayyir and the progressive four-year-old will definitely take his chance in Group 2 company in the Queen Anne Stakes on Tuesday.

Former Gold Cup-winning jump jockey Graham Bradley is likely to be among those to come under Jockey Club scrutiny next week following revelations during a major drugs trafficking trial. Bradley, now a successful bloodstock agent, admitted in court that he had passed on tips and information in breach of the Rules of Racing when he held a jockey's licence, and that he was a friend of drug gang mastermind Brian Wright.

* Tomorrow's meeting at Perth has been abandoned due to waterlogging. The course has been granted another Sunday on 4 August to compensate.