By Will Lefebve

What? A Brighton race meeting with no long distance raiders from Tony Carroll’s yard in Pershore plum country?

Popular 67-year-old wise-cracking Carroll, who has saddled 120 winners at the seaside course in the last 14 years, is significant by his absence from today’s action, having pulled out his entire squad of nine five-day entries because of unsuitable ground conditions.

He has stayed closer to home with runners at Wolverhampton tonight (a small interest on Milliethemollie in the 8.30 is recommended) and Leicester tomorrow, but followers of Mill House Racing can be assured that several of Tony’s equine “terriers” are due back here tomorrow week.

Back to matters closer to home, and the “word on the streets” of Oakham in even farther off Rutland is that Dr Foster, who has travelled around 170 miles to East Sussex (not Gloucester!), could pop up at rewarding odds in the 5.15 ten-furlongs handicap. Has he been on the waiting list too long?

Trainer Mick Appleby, equally skilled at placing his string either side of the Atlantic, has snapped up man-in-red-hot-form Rossa Ryan for the mount on the “doctor”, whose consistent but so far 11-race winnerless 2024 form suggests this could be the day, and he is ‘prescribed’ the NAP treatment.

Ryan could have already visited the winners’ enclosure because I like the chance of Stuart Williams’ twice-raced Jiff’s Army in the seven furlongs two-year-old maiden at 2.55. A most encouraging second of ten at Epsom last month.

Also recommended are Hellavapace, tipped to repeat last Monday’s clear cut win for apprentice Olivia Tubb and trainer Jonny Portman in the opener, while another bidding for a quick course double, the Richard Phillips-trained Fighting Poet, once again has the services of rising superstar Billie (‘the Kid’) Loughnane in the 12-furlongs handicap.

Father and son training duo of Gary and Josh Moore are well represented on the card and could be among the winners with Voodoo Ray (3.30) & Big Bard (5.50).

SELECTIONS: 2.20 Hellavapace, 2.55 Jiff’s Army, 3.30 Voodoo Ray, 4.05 Inshad, 4.40 Fighting Poet, 5.15 Dr Foster (NAP), 5.50 Big Bard.