Kalaman set for winning run

Any batsman worth his salt will admit that being stuck in the nervous nineties can force you into making a false move.

Whether the same applies in racing is debatable, but Godolphin have taken most people by surprise by running Moon Ballad rather than Dubai Destination in tomorrow's Sussex Stakes at Glorious Goodwood.

Sheikh Mohammed's globetrotting operation have been stuck on 99 Group 1 successes since Leadership won the Gran Premio di Milano on 22 June.

So can Moon Ballad steal the quick single needed to complete the century?

There's no doubt he's a formidable galloper. Indeed, he looked a superstar when running his rivals ragged on dirt in the Dubai World Cup, but to back him here you have to forgive his tame effort in the Prince of Wales's Stakes at Royal Ascot.

Moon Ballad took a fierce hold in front there, so it comes as no surprise to see him dropped in distance, but he could prove vulnerable to the fast finishers again if his natural exuberance takes over.

And this is a race where the chasing pack will contain some of the best milers in Europe. Terry Mills feels his stable star Where Or When is back in form after a below-par effort at Royal Ascot, while Zafeen ran the race of his life to win the St James's Palace Stakes there and will go well again provided the ground doesn't turn soft.

However, the coming forces in the mile division this year are Kalaman and Trade Fair.

Splitting the pair isn't easy. Trade Fair has rewarded Roger Charlton's patience in spades recently and made good horses like Just James and King Of Happiness look ordinary when storming away with a Group 3 contest at Newmarket in June.