Horse racing news Tuesday 3rd April 2018

George Scott is keeping his options open for now as he weighs up a starting point for his Classic hope James Garfield. The Greenham Stakes at Newbury on 21^st April is the favoured option for the Exceed And Excel colt, following his victory over six furlongs at that track in the Mill Reef Stakes last September. However, Scott will also consider the European Free Handicap at Newmarket earlier that week as he seeks the best conditions for James Garfield, who was last seen when beaten four and a half lengths into tenth behind Mendelssohn in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf at Del Mar back in November. That form was well and truly advertised by the winner in Dubai over the weekend!

Dual Classic winner Capri is the star name among 10 entries for the Group Three Toals.com Bookmakers Alleged Stakes at Naas on Sunday. The four-year-old landed both the Irish Derby at the Curragh and St Leger at Doncaster for Aidan O'Brien last season. O'Brien has a strong hand with Derby second Cliffs Of Moher and one-time Classic hope Yucatan also entered along with Clear Skies.

The Ballydoyle handler said: "We have left four in the Alleged Stakes, including Capri. He galloped in Naas last week and we were very happy with him and ideally, we would love to start some of the horses in the Alleged Stakes, but the ground would be a concern at the moment. We'll just have to see what happens with the weather in the next couple of days before we make a decision."

The Gladness Stakes is the other Group Three feature across the Irish Sea and O'Brien has a couple to pick from in Spirit Of Valor and War Secretary.