Promising three-year-old fillies to the fore again after a slow start

It has been a tough start to the season for Ralph Beckett. Early performances showed the trainer the horses, while healthy, were not quite ready, so he took the wise course of giving them more time, which has meant fewer runners than expected in the last two weeks.

Beckett was also dealt a blow by the death of promising three-year-old colt Nivaldo, who collapsed on the gallops, while Chester Cup hope Here And Now is out for the season after 'getting a leg'.

Dancing Vega, who disappointed in the Fred Darling, is off to the US to continue her career, but Beckett still has an envious array of fillies which is hardly surprising given his excellent record with them.