Sleepytime gives her followers a dream start

Whenever a well-touted two-year-old wins a back-end maiden the aftermath is similar to the last 10 minutes of an exam. There is a measure of furious scribbling.

The bookmakers' ballpoints were travelling swiftly here yesterday when the debutante Sleepytime anaesthetised her opponents at Esher. Despite the fact she beat animals that may next be seen on the sands with sombreros over their ears, she was installed as 6-1 second favourite for the 1997 1,000 Guineas with Coral.

Those that have collected the 20-1 about Henry Cecil's filly earlier in the week can feel relatively happy with themselves. Others should tread carefully. Sleepytime is a horse of two halves and is somewhat reminiscent of a salvaged, dodgy vehicle. She has a slender delicate front supported by pigeon-toed legs and huge, powerful quarters - a dragster of a physique. This chassis has already caused Cecil problems, and he had to stop training her briefly six weeks ago when she damaged a shoulder.

In addition, winter does funny things to racehorses. It has a similar effect on bookmaking pronouncements. If you ask the Big Three firms, they will always tell you they make no money on ante-post gambling. Why are they doing it? The bookmakers will tell you they keep a long-range book for public-relations purposes but, in other areas, when naked profit is measured against the sensitivity of punters, there is only ever one winner.

In reality, the times have gone when bookmakers risked their existence, like pioneers going into Indian territory, with just their wits to fend off the enemy. The Big Three have now built their forts and the emasculated opponents come to them to trade at unfavourable prices. The truth is that shop punters just cannot get on at a decent ante-post price. That goes the moment anyone connected with a horse stakes anything more than newspaper- round money.

At this stage of the season it is instructive to begin drawing up a list of those that are trumped up and then implode. Zamindar, the French colt, is already on it. Come spring time you could can cut up the role of names and use it to repaper the spare room.

This is not to say Sleepytime looked unimpressive yesterday. She was supremely composed in the paddock and in the race itself she accelerated without any coercion from her jockey, Pat Eddery.

The words of Cecil were also encouraging. "She hasn't actually been let down in her work yet, she's just been on the bit," he said. "Pat said they couldn't go fast enough for her today, that she was just cantering round and when he picked her up she went whoosh. I do like her very much, she behaved beautifully, and at this stage she must be in the same sort of league as Bosra Sham.''

Sleepytime goes next for the Fillies' Mile at Ascot, where a more reliable barometer to her merit will be established. Eddery seemed to do his best yesterday to talk himself out of keeping the ride. The Irishman told a member of the press corps the filly was so superior that he could have won on her. She may have been good, but she was not that good.