Racing: Guineas aspirant washed off course

GOLDEN NASHWAN, third favourite at 8-1 for the 2,000 Guineas, will miss Saturday's Easter Stakes at Kempton, his prep for the Classic. Soft ground at Manton has prevented Peter Chapple-Hyam, his trainer, from getting sufficient work into the colt.

'There is no problem with the horse but Peter is in no hurry with him,' a spokesperson for the stable said.

The Michael Stoute-trained Just Happy has been backed again for the colts' Classic. 'Just Happy was 33-1 at the start of spring and 20-1 a week ago,' Ian Wassell, of Ladbrokes, said. 'But weight of money means we have cut him again today from 16-1 to 12-1.'

William Hill have chopped Henry Cecil's unraced Distant View from 40-1 to 25-1 for the 2,000 after reports of an impressive workout over the weekend. They have also cut the same stable's Cambrel from 40-1 to 33-1 for the 1,000.

Cecil's wife, Natalie, dismissed the reports: 'I know Henry likes Distant View a lot but they never go too berserk on the gallops. They all come up on the bridle and finish on the bridle.'