A.P. McCoy in town in busy week at Southwell

Last week at fellow ARC racecourse, Worcester, he recorded his fastest ever half century of winners for a season with winners for a range of trainers, predominantly including Donald McCain, John Ferguson and Jonjo O’Neill, the trainer he has the most rides for as his boss JP McManus has the majority of his British string based at Jackdows Castle.

Southwell’s Wednesday evening meeting is followed by live music from a superb Beatles tribute act, The Fab 4.

On Thursday, there is another additional fixture which has been transferred from Wolverhampton, who are still in the early stages of laying down their new Tapeta surface.

This meeting is an all-weather Flat card on the Fibresand surface, and there are some big name trainers with early entries such as Andrew Balding, Hugo Palmer, John Gosden, Peter Chapple-Hyam and of course local trainer Mick Appleby, who had a big winner on Saturday at Musselburgh winning the Scottish Sprint Cup with Demora.

It’s Royal Ascot this week, and there are a few horses running with previous Southwell form, in particular the David Griffiths trained Take Cover in the King’s Stand Stakes on Tuesday. He won his first three races on the Fibresand and was beaten a short head in November 2012 on his only other visit. He has a bit to find strictly on figures but he could run well as he is very fast.

The final race on Tuesday is the Windsor Castle Stakes for two-year-olds and a couple of Southwell maiden winners line up here in the shape of Denzille Lane and Midterm Break.

The latter has since won the Beverley two-year-old trophy and should go well, and Denzille Lane could figure if stepping up again for Mark Johnston.

On Wednesday, Alumina, a filly who has won her last six races for trainer Andrew Balding, four of which have come at Southwell, could go well in the 5.35, the Sandringham Handicap for three-year-olds.

For more information on the meetings at Southwell this week, visit www.southwell-racecourse.co.uk.