We do know that he has got speed and, if he can settle and produce that speed, then he's going to take a bit of beating." Walk In The Park (next best 2.10) is likely to be there, however, when Party Boss runs out of puff.The Oaks trial carries significance as AYAM ZAMAN (nap 3.20) is among the contestants. He must indeed be rattled by the election result! If he is already referring to defeated Labour MPs as "comrades", what odds on the word "socialism" being slipped into a future public utterance?DAVID PIERCECHURCH KNOWLE, DORSET. Alternatively, it could be that the son of Montjeu will be more suited to the British rhythm of racing. Walk In The Park's most notable effort in France last year was in the Criterium International at Saint-Cloud, in which he finished third and would almost certainly have done better had he not pulled so violently in the early stages.A truer gallop will be available today, with Party Boss a likely candidate as a pace-setter. Clive Brittain's colt behaved as if his tail was on fire in the 2,000 Guineas, but, paradoxically, took little out of himself as he blazed away at the front.

Lingfield stages its version of a Derby rehearsal this afternoon as the Classic awaits the appearance of an outstanding leading man. The Derby trials thus far have just led to punter tribulations.If there is a hero to hack his way through the thorns in Surrey this afternoon it is likely to be John Hammond's Walk In The Park, the French-based colt who was recently supplemented for the premier Classic at a cost of £8,000, enough for many but the sort of sum his owner, Michael Tabor, has down the back of the settee.It is one theory that Walk In The Park's addition to the field is evidence that there is no definitive Derby horse at Tabor's main premises of Aidan O'Brien's Ballydoyle. He had a lot of things to overcome, a lot to learn, but he was very brave."There are other Derby trials to come, other Ballydoyle colts to consider for the Blue Riband, but it appears Fallon's mind is already made up."I was impressed with him," the jockey said "He felt really good today He has showed me nothing at all at home It was like riding a different horse He's an Epsom horse.". Gypsy King did everything wrong in the Dee Stakes here yesterday and still won It was a triumph for ability over callowness.

Epsom now beckons. The merit of Gypsy King's triumph is not simple to fathom. Some bookmaking firms cut him to favourite for the Derby, others left him alone, while one actually lengthened his odds for the Blue Riband.The telling statistic of the contest was that Gypsy King was trading at 50-1 in running, such was the immaturity he displayed. Only off the final turn did victory become a distinct possibility and then only a typical Fallon punch in the closing stages secured a short-head win from 33-1 outsider Im Spartacus.Yet it was impossible to deny that Gypsy King must benefit greatly from this tutorial The big exam is coming up fast "I couldn't believe it," O'Brien said "I knew he was going to be green with the work he missed I'm surprised he won to tell you the truth. In April 2001, Veit was knocked out in just 112 seconds by Calzaghe, but the German now has home advantage for a challenge that nobody truly expected.The loss to Calzaghe remains the only defeat that Veit has suffered in his 46-fight career and there are clear signs that tonight's encounter could be not just a little bit longer but also potentially difficult for the Welshman.It will be Calzaghe's 16th defence of the World Boxing Organisation super-middleweight title that he won in October 1997 in a genuine thriller against Chris Eubank.Since his last fight in December 2004, when he won on points against an Egyptian called Kabary Salem, Calzaghe has been going through a divorce.

The split has been acrimonious and played out in public, which has been part of the reason why he has not fought since that night.Against Veit tonight Calzaghe will have to exercise just a little bit more patience than he has in other fights because victory will not come quite so easily and there is a genuine chance that if the fight lasts the full distance of 12 rounds that Calzaghe could indeed be on the wrong end of a bad decision.. It has been a long six months for Joe Calzaghe since his last performance in the ring, but tonight in Braunschweig, Germany, he will finally put an end to a bad period in his career. Calzaghe has been so close to overcoming various prejudices and securing a place in the shortlist of truly great British boxers that it is easy to forget that at some point in all boxers' careers they do get old and when that happens they can lose.In theory, Calzaghe, who is 33, was to have met one of two top Americans at some point during the last four years but injuries and events worked against him and tonight he finds himself going over old ground when he meets Mario Veit. The Elite League has rejected applications from Dundee Stars, Guildford Flames and Fife Flyers to join the British top flight. Therefore we have been working behind the scenes to form a six-to-eight team professional league encompassing teams from Scotland and England, although these discussions are at an early stage."It added: "We have built Dundee Stars from scratch to become one of the most successful clubs in the country and we are determined to put all our efforts into making this league a success and the way forward for ice hockey in Scotland and England."We have already secured a major sponsor for the league and the commitment shown by this company expresses their confidence in the product we are proposing.

Will that do?TIM LYNCHDOBCROSS, GREATER MANCHESTER Bolshevik Blair Sir: I could hardly believe it when I heard Mr Blair utter the "C" word on TV. This leads me to suspect that the "S" word will soon also pass his lips. As the Socialist Alliance first said in autumn 1997, if you have to adopt your opponent's policies to win, you haven't won They have. The alternative may have been blanked out by the media and marginalised by the current electoral system; but those of us committed to a fairer world, one not dominated by racism and war, will continue to campaign to put people before profits.J NICHOLSONMANCHESTER No more whitewash Sir: You report (4 May) that the families of 10 of the British military personnel killed in Iraq are calling for a public inquiry into the legality of the war. After the whitewashes of the Butler and the Hutton reports the only way that an inquiry would command complete public support is if it were to be chaired by a respected jurist from a neutral country outside the United Kingdom.DAVID SMITHTATSFIELD, SURREY Ill-fated flight Sir: Does Guy Keleny read his own column? On 30 April he argues the weakness of advertisers using the phrase "Why not?" In the next breath he asks how the Airbus flight could be completed unsuccessfully? I suggest on the p?ferique with all the warning lights flashing, half the plane on fire, the occupants missing or raving mad ?a Mary Celeste.