Third-placed J R Stevenson winner of his maiden on his sole outing last year produced

Third-placed J R Stevenson, winner of his maiden on his sole outing last year, produced an encouraging late flourish to finish just three-quarters of a length behind Peace Of Mind and the son of Lyphard, who represents the Peter Chapple-Hyam/Robert Sangster team will be seen to best effect when he steps up to a mile and a half.It is early to be talking of Epsom but there was much to like about the way the Caerleon filly Claxon enhanced her Oaks prospects with an all- the-way win in the Masaka Stakes to get Pat Eddery off the mark for the year. Her trainer John Dunlop has made a tremendous start to the season and for good measure her stablemate Alabaq followed her home.Claxon, the first foal of her yard's Fred Darling Stakes winner Bulaxie, will move up to 10 furlongs next. Dunlop said: "She did it well, and the plan would be to have one more run, and then the Oaks."Dunlop had positive news of his Dewhurst Stakes winner Mujahid, who impressed mightily in a piece of work on Friday. The colt is due to reappear in the Craven Stakes on Thursday week, providing the ground remains easy. "He's very well indeed, but if the ground is too firm at Newmarket he'll go to Newbury for the Greenham."The Easter Stakes, has in the past produced smart winners like Elmaamul, subsequently third in the Derby, Corrupt, who started favourite at Epsom, and Lucky Lindy, runner-up in a Guineas. But yesterday's edition, run in half a second slower time than the fillies' race, produced only negative clues.

The length winner Dehoush, trained by an absent Alec Stewart, holds no Classic engagements and Raise A Grand, who had won the Solario Stakes last year and run fifth in the Dewhurst, showed little sparkle in eighth place. The race did, however, provide former champion Michael Roberts with his 1,200th winner in Britain and give owner Ahmed Al Maktoum a double on the day. Dettori wore the yellow silks to victory in the opener on the impressive Mick Channon-trained two-year-old debutant Ma Yoram, a black Dayjur colt.Both Glamis and Claxon were tokenly trimmed for their respective Epsom races. But yesterday's serious news on the Classic front came from the Newmarket gallops in the morning, when the 1,000 Guineas favourite Bionic limped her way out of contention.Willie Ryan pulled up the Henry Cecil-trained filly as she faltered half a mile into a routine spin on Racecourse Side. He jumped off immediately and although the daughter of Zafonic seemed to trot up sound soon afterwards the news came later she will be scanned for a suspected pelvic fracture on Tuesday. The new market leader (the third this year after the death of original favourite Bint Allayl in January) is the French-trained Moiava.The Richard Dunwoody circus moves to Wincanton tomorrow after he managed only one win, on Grosvenor, at Newton Abbot yesterday.

he now needs just one winner to equal Peter Scudamore's all-time best score of 1,678, and two to beat it.. WHEN IT comes to finding the winner of the Grand National the storybook is often as much help as the formbook. The Brothers Grimm themselves would often be hard pressed to better some of the tales generated by the historic race and Saturday's 153rd running promises to live up to the tradition of racing fact being as good as fiction Take the favourite, Double Thriller. Can this former star hunter chaser continue the annus mirabilis of his trainer, Paul Nicholls, and give his teenage jockey, Joe Tizzard, glorious compensation for being passed over on the stable's two Cheltenham stars, See More Business and Call Equiname, in favour of the more experienced Mick Fitzgerald? What about Call It A Day? He would surely be an appropriately named first winner for David Nicholson - whose great-grandfather trained Freetrader to win in 1856 and Little Charley in 1858 - as he approaches the end of a distinguished career. Addington Boy, a first National runner for his trainer, Ferdy Murphy, would be a perfect vehicle to continue the rehabilitation of Nicholson's former No 1 jockey Adrian Maguire after a turbulent start to the year.

And Saturday is the horse's actual 11th birthday.The chapter on girl power offers three choices, two human, one equine. Imagine the emotion unconfined should Nahthen Lad give Jenny Pitman a third victory with her final runner in the race she has made her own. Or the satisfaction of a new queen of Aintree crowned if General Wolfe helps Venetia Williams get over the disappointment she suffered when Teeton Mill - originally bought with the National in mind - injured himself in the Gold Cup. The beautifully named mare Fiddling The Facts (by Orchestra out of Facts 'n Fancies) will be bidding to become only the 12th of her sex to win, and the first since Nickel Coin 48 years ago. She's something of a perennial bridesmaid, having been runner-up in her last three races and perhaps deserves a change of luck. Her rider, Fitzgerald, is on fire and her trainer, Nick Henderson, is surely due some good fortune at Aintree; he's had Zongalero and The Tsarevitch finish second and his last three runners, Henry Mann, Tinryland and Pashto, have fallen at the first, the last-named fatally 12 months ago.Many a champion jockey retires without having won a National - Peter Scudamore and John Francome to name but two - but that statistic would be no more acceptable to Tony McCoy than the fact that the best of his three rides to date was to pull up three years ago on the lame Deep Bramble.