Racing: Nowhere's away win

BRITISH RUNNERS recorded a Listed-race double at Chantilly yesterday. John Dunlop's Nowhere to Exit, ridden by Thierry Thulliez, dominated his nine rivals in the Prix de l'Avre over a mile and a half.

The Haydock winner was held up for his run by Thulliez, and he proved much too strong for the opposition drawing two lengths clear of Scottish Glen.

Earlier, Alexis, trained at Newmarket by Jeremy Noseda and ridden by Gerald Mosse, improved on her third in Kempton's Masaka Stakes to take the one-mile Prix d'Angerville. The front-running Alexis held on by a length from the strong-finishing Ares Vallis.

Both Robert Sangster, captain of Europe's Shergar Cup challenge against the Middle East, and the BHB chairman, Peter Savill, have backed their confidence in the home team with hard cash for the inaugural running on 8 May.

As the provisional teams were announced yesterday for the event, run over six races at Goodwood, David Buik of City Index, parent company of the sponsor, told of money in support of Europe to beat the Middle East.

When the project was announced the Middle East were odds-on favourites, but that has changed in recent weeks. "Our prices have adjusted dramatically," reported Buik. "We started by making Europe outsiders at 9-4, and we were 1-3 the Middle East. We have seen a wave of money for Europe and they are now the 4-5 favourites."