Horse Racing: Hanagan eyes a double

The Yorkshire-based rider has set a tremendous pace in the race for the Champion Jockey's title, having already booted home well over 100 winners this term and he can score on both Diggeratt and Arctic Feeling for his boss, Richard Fahey.

The former caught my eye when a close third over seven furlongs on his reappearance at Thirsk last week when he was held up and switched left at the start from a poor draw but made strong headway in the home straight, only to be denied a clear run on more than one occasion.

The four-year-old was ridden by an inexperienced pilot then and was having his first outing since last September, so is fully expected to strip fitter this time and will have the assistance of a jockey in great form.

The gelding - who was successful twice over a mile in the early days of August last year - will appreciate the step back up to that trip in the Racing UK Handicap (6.30pm).

Arctic Feeling broke the juvenile track record when making a successful debut at Southwell back in the spring and has been runner-up in two of his three races since then.

The youngster - who cost 17.000 guineas - was caught close home and beaten in a photo-finish at Thirsk in May and again at Beverley on his latest appearance. In between those races, he turned in a fine effort in the Norfolk Stakes at Royal Ascot where he was beaten just over four lengths and, although he has to concede weight to his three rivals tomorrow, he certainly looks up to the task.

Silvestre de Sousa is another rider in great form - he has partnered a dozen winners in the last week or so - and he can continue the good work on Park's Prodigy in the concluding Best Racecourses Live Handicap (8.40pm)

The six-year-old has bags of stamina with all four of his career wins coming over a mile and a half or more, the latest of them here at the end of June and a big weight may not stop him from scoring again as he has finished second to a highly-rated winner at Beverley in the interim.

The main event of the evening is the Investec Investment Banking Handicap (7.35pm) in which some very fast sprinters line-up. With Lost in Paris, Le Toreador and Lusciviious all drawn near the favoured stands rail, the course record may well be in danger.

Luscivious was successful over this course and distance in April and I saw him win by a wide margin at Southwell earlier this week. He can defy top weight tomorrow with apprentice Paddy Donaghy claiming 5lb to virtually annul the 6lb penalty Lusicivious picked up for that latest victory.

Joe Rowntree's Musselburgh selections: 6.30 Diggeratt; 7.05 Arctic Feeling; 7.35 Luscivious; 8.40 Park's Prodigy