Shamardal, hugely impressive on his debut at Ayr earlier this month, makes the long journey from North Yorkshire to Goodwood in a bid to underline his enormous potential in tomorrow's Veuve Clicquot Vintage Stakes.

The Group 2 contest, worth £70,000, is several rungs above the maiden race Shamardal won at Ayr, but Mark Johnston's exciting colt is expected to be equal to the task.

His tall home reputation preceeded him to Ayr and he duly won by a wide margin, quickening clear of his toiling rivals in the closing stages in the style of a high-class horse.

Nap selection Shamardal steps up from six furlongs to seven tomorrow in a race Johnston won last year with Lucky Story. An encore could well be on the cards.

Johnston, who has a terrific record at this meeting down the years, saddles a whole bunch of runners in the opening Goodwood Handicap, the pick of which could well be Riyadh, the mount of Royston Ffrench.

The six-year-old is a quirky individual, but he has plenty of ability as he showed when being narrowly denied by his stablemate Mana d'Argent at Ascot last weekend. Over tomorrow's longer distance, Riyadh could well gain his revenge on his stablemate.

Johnston will also be strongly represented in the cantorodds.com Heritage Handicap and looks to have particularly good prospects with Always Waining, a fluent winner at Ascot last Saturday. A 7lb penalty may not be enough to prevent him from following up.

Frankie Dettori, who rode two winners at lowly Southwell yesterday in advance of an exciting five days at Goodwood, will be aboard Refuse To Bend in the featured Cantor Odds Sussex Stakes.

Godolphin's star miler, winner of the Coral-Eclipse Stakes at Sandown last time, had previously won the Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot, beating Soviet Song by a neck.

Soviet Song, who reopposes tomorrow, has since beaten dual-Classic winner Attraction in fine style at Newmarket.

There promises to be little to choose between the two arch-rivals again tomorrow, but Soviet Song, the mount of Johnny Murtagh, may just have the edge this time over Refuse To Bend.

At Musselburgh, Ellway Heights is worth another chance in the Rectangle Group Apprentice Handicap.

Mark Brisbourne's gelding is proving hard to win with this season, but, after being outstayed by Paddy Mul over two miles here two outings ago, he has since finished fourth over a shorter distance at Hamilton, where he failed to settle in a slowly-run race. He should not be deserted yet.

Wednesday's tips:

Goodwood

2-05 Riyadh, 2-40 Shamardal (NAP), 3-15 Soviet Song, 3-50 Always Waining, 4-25 Spring Goddess, 5-00 Unreal, 5-35 Lady Protector.

Musselburgh

2-30 Howards Princess, 3-00 Son Of Thunder, 3-35 American Cousin, 4-10 Go Between, 4-45 St Savarin, 5-20 Ellway Heights.

Tomorrow's other meetings are at Kempton, Leicester and Newton Abbot

Updated: 12:13 Tuesday, July 27, 2004