CONDITIONS WILL SUIT HERITAGE

Having found rain softened turf at Royal Ascot ideal when winning the King George V Handicap by a length from Taunt, Heritage almost certainly found the faster surface at Haydock against him next time when tackling older horses in the Old Newton Cup.But his seventh place there was no disgrace as the slow early pace was against him and he can return to winning ways in the Garrowby Rated Stakes at York today.With the rain continuing to fall, the Knavesmire ground gets ever nearer to becoming a quagmire and Heritage will be sure to be slogging onwards when others have cried enough. Although now racing off a mark 10lb higher than when winning at the Royal meeting, John Gosden's three year old may well still be improving.Here, he reverts to his own age group and can land this £20,000 added contest on the way to better things.Dropped markedly in class from his two efforts in Group company this season, In Command, the winner of last season's Dewhurst Stakes, looks a good bet in the Strensall Stakes. He shoud be able to take his £25,000 added Listed event at the principal expense of mudlark Winter Romance.Having run out of the frame on both starts this term, In Command will find this company far easier than the St James's Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot in which he was sixth behind Starborough last time.Despite not having the clearest of runs there, it probably did not affect his final placing too much. But, freshened up by trainer Barry Hills, he looks to have an ideal opportunity to get back on to the winning trail in the hands of trainer's son Michael.Although he has yet to tackle a soft surface, his pedigree suggets that it should post no problems and a confidence boosting victory here looks likely if he runs up to anywhere near the level of his two year old form.With everything he touches seemingly turning to gold this season, leading apprentice Royston Ffrench can work the oracle aboard Sharbadarid in the Racing Schools Apprentices' Handicap.On his first outing after being gelded, Sharbadarid seemed to settle much better when a clear second to Tipperary Sunset at Ripon and - having seemed slightly unlucky not to get his head in front then - he is given the vote to break his duck here. Though Luca Cumani is used to placing his handicappers in slightly more illustrious company, this son of Night Shift is at the right end of the handicap to score a couple of times before the season is out.Given a three month break by trainer Norman Babbage, Master M-E-N is a speculative suggestion to repeat last year's victory in the Winterborne Handicap at Salisbury.Aintree clinched the biggest sponsorship deal in British racing history yesterday when Martell signed a £4.5 million agreement to back the Grand National until 2004.A new six year contract between the Liverpool track and the Cognac house will begin in 1999 extending an association now set to last at least 13 years.Martell is continuing its involvement with the race despite of two recent extraordinary days in the event's history. In 1993 the race had to be declared void after a false start fiasco and this year an IRA bomb hoax forced its postponement to the following Monday.