RACING: Cita Verda booked her ticket for Ayr's Scottish Grand National meeting by springing a 20 to 1 surprise at Newcastle yesterday.
Peter Monteith's dual-purpose performer was always in the leading group in the HMS Newcastle Stakes and capitalised on scrimmaging behind to kick on a furlong out and beat Red To Violet by a length and a half.
Erupt was three-quarters of a length further back in third with the 13 to 8 favourite Archie Babe, trying to follow up a win at Doncaster last Thursday, only fourth after being snatched up when trying to make a run on the far rails.
Straw Poll, one of 90 two-year-olds trained by Mick Channon this season, made favourite backers sweat before justifying the odds in the EBF Maiden Stakes.
Sheikh Mohammed's colt looked like winning as he liked when given the office inside the final quarter mile by Steve Drowne, but Marcus Elie came out of the pack to press the 4 to 5 shot in the closing stages and there was only a short head between them at the line.
Drowne, however, was happy with his mount's performance: "I just had to give him a slap to keep him up to his job. He's a bit weak and I think he'll improve a lot for the run."
Kim Tinkler picked up a two-day ban (April 2rd and 3rd) for irresponsible riding of a minor nature on the unplaced Westborough.
Bow Strada can make a successful return to fencing at Ascot today.
He ran a smashing race over hurdles on his latest start at Cheltenham when he finished a running-on seventh in the hotly-contested Coral Cup at the Festival, and trainer Philip Hobbs clearly has the six-year-old in good heart.
His previous outing had been over fences at Leicester in November when he won a novice event with plenty in hand, jumping well in the process to confirm the decent impression he had made when meeting a couple of useful types on his first two chase starts.
Good ground today will be ideal for the Rainbow Quest gelding, who was once thought good enough to be entered for the Derby when he was a youngster on the Flat with Peter Harris.
Hobbs also had Cameron Bridge in the Isle Of Skye Blended Whisky/Kelso Novices' Chase but has opted to side with Bow Strada and so should punters.
A bad blunder at the final flight cost Jarro dear at Sandown but compensation awaits the Venetia Williams-trained gelding in the Dusty Miller Handicap Chase.
Having led for a long way he was agonisingly caught a few strides from the line by Heavenly Stride, to whom he was giving the best part of a stone.
Jarro looks capable of defying what would be a career-high winning mark.
