Distillation returns to his favourite seven furlong course at Wolverhampton this evening (6pm); he is up twelve pounds from the mark off which he was just touched off a week ago last Friday; and he actually runs off the new mark this evening (albeit that it has been calculated with a penalty and reassessment is actually tomorrow); he clearly has a cracking, competitive chance.

There might be two dangers that might make him fairly priced this evening at a shade of odds on; one is that this is third run in 11 days (you can never know till you have left the stalls if this in play) and the other is that our goodfriend Eve Johnson Houghton might have a well handicapped and late maturing gelding in Dark Mandate; although doubtless not in the same league as Ribocco, Ribero & Accidental Agent Dark Mandate is clearly capable of winning in this grade (he came from Charlie Hills & was a £100k yearling). There has been money for Dark Mandate overnight and our gelding has eased out from 6 to 4 on to touching evens; it is hard to see a result other than one of them winning and we go back to Wolverhampton to enhance his form figures of 2121 and get the fractions right over the first furlongs; our gelding should run really well this evening and has every chance of winning again if the pace of the race drops right.

We have declared From The Hip for Salisbury's good class six furlong Handicap on Wednesday; the ballot just needs to stay on the right side by 10