Catching Pigeons selections ahead of racing on Saturday July 22

Balding struck recently for the owners of Leicester City Football Club on one of their recently-made forays into racehorse ownership when Beat The Bank scored at Newmarket's July meeting and this colt is another new purchase, having been snapped up for near-enough half a million pounds on the eve of Royal Ascot.

Well proven at Listed level in his native France, Straight Right then ran a sound enough final race for his old trainer behind Caravaggio and Harry Angel in the Commonwealth Cup but he ought to handle the likely easier ground here and looks sure to run a big race in the Bathwick Tyres Handicap.

Balding believes a kick-off over seven furlongs rather than six is the desired distance, and the drop to handicap company should also assist.

Sylvester Kirk knows what it take to win the Weatherbys Super Sprint and he has a live outsider this time around in the well-regarded Connery.

This well-endowned five-furlong dash is often a very open race and the strong possibility of further rain over night complicates the situation even more.

However, Connery, a son of multiple easy ground winner Clodovil, has a better chance than some of coping with conditions, and his overall form is pretty sound.

Although well beaten at Listed level last time, the race came just two days after his decisive win at Bath, and he appeared to run a little flat.

With cheekpieces fitted, Thikryaat could step up on recent efforts in the bet365 Steventon Stakes under Jim Crowley.

Hopes were quite high for him at Freemason Lodge at the start of the campaign after a strong end to last season, but he has only produced one respectable effort from three. Rain is probably not a positive, but if it stays away the headgear could be the answer.

Lady Macapa is another sure to attract attention from followers of the Lambourn yards in the Group Three  bet365 Hackwood Stakes.

A useful sprinter for William Knight last season, she joined Clive Cox's impressive array of speedsters for 2017, and made a solid start to her career at Beechdown with a good third here in April.

Made favourite for the all-fillies Listed Kilvington Stakes at Nottingham on her only subsequent start, she found the ground much too quick that day, and her poor effort is best forgotten. Given plenty of time to recover from that performance, her trainer thinks she is progressing nicely, and the likely underfoot conditions should be much more in her favour here. She is a huge price in a wide-open contest.

Some well-regarded two year olds head to post for the bet365 Novice Stakes and it may pay to take a chance with Helvetian from the Mick Channon emporium.

A half-brother to the very fast juvenile and Listed winner Fortunately, this son of Swiss Spirit, has been working very well in his preliminaries on the West Ilsley high grounds and may just have the edge over the well regarded Oliver Reed, and fellow newcomer Usher, from the Roger Charlton stable.

Intellect is a typical improving middle-distance type for Sir Michael Stoute and he is fancied to follow up his soft-ground success at Nottingham last month in the Grundon Recycling Handicap.

The form of his success is not that easy to weigh up, but he looks to have plenty of scope, and an initial rating of 80 for this handicap bow does not look overly harsh.

Sante has gone up a 1lb for each of her seconds on her two outings so far this term, but she is still handily weighted and is another to benefit from having Moore aboard in the EBF Series Fillies Handicap.

She is another well equipped to handle easy underfoot conditions, and should see off Lambourn-trained rivals Pavillon and Trilliant.

Temple Church can land a belated first win of the season on his return to a mile in the Betbright Recall Handicap at Newmarket.

Hughie Morrison had hopes of winning some high class middle-distance events after the three year old beat the smart Raheen House over this trip at Newbury as a two-year-old, but he bumped into some exceptionally smart rivals returned to the track first time up this season and the evidence of his most recent start over at York, he needs this less demanding test of stamina.

He was one of the the last horses off the bridle on the Knavesmire, but after holding every chance a furlong out, faded to finish a respectable fourth behind the progressive Defoe.

He takes on older horses here for the first time here, and looks worth another chance at what should be decent odds.

The prospect of rain hangs over many meetings this weekend and it ought to do harm to the prospects of the selection, nor the horse who rates his most serious threat, the William Haggas-trained Zwayyan.

However Zwayyan fares, Haggas has a couple of strong contenders for Lingfield's evening meeting in Tulip Fever and Easy Code, the booking of Silvestre de Sousa for the latter confirming the visual impression gained last time that this is a horse who needs to have his mind made up for him now.  

Luca Cumani ought to go home from his local track with at least one winner with Buxted Dream looking hard to beat in the maiden, but God Given has outside prospects in the Betbright Aphrodite Stakes too.

This is far tougher than the maiden she landed last time, but she impressed with her battling attitude there and her trainer has always harboured hopes that she might prove up to black-type level.

Peter Chapple-Hyam needs a winner at present and his Fivetwoeight merits a mention in the Betbright Casino Handicap. He shaped pretty pleasingly on his recent return to action at Leicester and has scope for further improvement.

Kapstadt, second in a good-class event here last September, can take advantage of his big weight concession from John Constable in the Betfred TV Summer Handicap Hurdle at Market Rasen.

Ian Williams' seven year old lost his way a little after landing an emphatic win at Cheltenham in December, but he has come back strongly in the first half of the Flat campaign, winning handicap at Newmarket after two seconds at Haydock.

Connections have been very happy with his preparations for this return to timber, and he is back on a reasonable mark.

Days Of Heaven has been something of a reformed character since his return from a spell in the United States, and he should go well for Nicky Henderson in the Betfred Summer Plate, provided the ground does not become too soft.

He is unbeaten after three races since his return from across the Atlantic, and the champion trainer has had this valuable prize in mind for some considerable time.

Henry Candy's Jupiter was beaten a fair way by Grand Koonta on his debut at Windsor, but there was no disgrace in that defeat and he should improve significantly on the performance in the L & R Anniversary Novice Stakes over seven furlongs at Lingfield. This more demanding distance should play to his strengths.

Jungle Room could never get into the race after a slow start on his debut at Doncaster a couple of weeks ago, but he stayed on to good effect on the outside of the field in the closing stages, and will be much sharper when seen out again.

The Kevin Ryan team are now back running much better after an enforced lay-off, and if he pitches up in the opening novice at Ayr on Monday, he could well reward a speculative interest.