Racing: Dancer keeps Eddery on toes

Danehill Dancer threw down his 2,000 Guineas gauntlet here yesterday - and left his jockey Pat Eddery in a dilemma - with a solid-looking victory in the Greenham Stakes. The Neville Callaghan-trained colt's defeat of Kahir Almaydan did not ruffle the betting at the head of the market - Alhaarth and Beauchamp King remain the first two choices - but moved him into third place in the Hills list at 6-1. Ladbrokes were less convinced and offer 10-1.

Eddery must now choose between Danehill Dancer and last week's impressive Newmarket winner Storm Trooper. The jockey, giving nothing away after the race, said: "I haven't had the chance to think about it yet," but said of Danehill Dancer, "He has been working superbly and is a real livewire. I'm sure he'll make them all race in the Guineas."

Callaghan, who trains Danehill Dancer for the Monaco-based entrepreneur and one-time bookmaker Michael Tabor, expressed himself more than satisfied with the performance. He said: "He's done everything we wanted, and a bit more. We know now that he's trained on - which is always a relief - and although he was pretty straight, they usually improve for a run. He idled a bit."

The defeat of Alhaarth at Newmarket on Thursday opened up the Guineas picture, and the spotlight in yesterday's trial was on the the two horses who followed him home in the Dewhurst Stakes last year, Danehill Dancer and Tagula. Kahir Almaydan set a furious pace and it was not until approaching the final furlong that Tagula, and then Danehill Dancer, brought from off the pace by Eddery, caught him.

Danehill Dancer strode past the post as if the extra furlong of the Rowley Mile would not be a problem, but Tagula failed to stay and was passed again by Kahir Almaydan for second. The winner has over two lengths to make up on Alhaarth on Dewhurst form, but Callaghan remarked: "Pat said he was not at his best that day. We'll go to Newmarket and have a crack at them."

The Greenham is not the most reliable guide to the 2,000 Guineas. Last year's winner Celtic Swing finished second to Pennekamp, and the last Greenham winner to win the Guineas was Wollow 20 years ago.

Danehill Dancer was the second winner of the day for Tabor, who hit the limelight last year, after 25 years as an owner, with the Kentucky Derby hero Thunder Gulch. His High Baroque came from last to first to win the opening Arlington International Racecourse Stakes, beating four Derby entries in the process.

One of them was Bright Water, odds-on favourite to continue Henry Cecil's progress. But the brother to Tenby was one of the first under pressure in the straight. His trainer reported later that Bright Water hated the soft ground and finished distressed. The Peter Chapple-Hyam-trained winner has the Italian Derby on his agenda; his stablemate Nash House, who made an impressive winning debut in the Burghclere Maiden Stakes, goes for the Epsom version. Ladbrokes make him 16-1.

Up at Ayr there was a fairytale ending to the Scottish Grand National when Moorcroft Boy, the horse who came back from the dead, took the jump season's penultimate big steeplechase. The 11-year-old broke his neck 17 months ago at Aintree, and vets feared for his life, let alone his future racing career.

But he returned to the track this season, and yesterday fulfilled the promise of his third place in the 1994 Grand National. He was dead tired as Mark Dwyer urged him over the last fence, but so were the others behind him, headed by General Wolfe, Arthur's Minstrel and the favourite Lo Stregone. His tearful trainer David Nicholson said: "This is unreal. I'm nearly speechless. I've almost lost my voice and I'm close to tears. I've seen most things in racing, but this was really special."