KIRKBY Lonsdale racing expert Mark Howard comes up with another fascinating offering with his new publication 'Ahead on the Flat 2010' (£7.99).

You may be surprised to find that Henry Cecil's Frankel, the hot favourite for Saturday's 2,000 Guineas does not feature in his Top 40 Prospects.

But listen, Howard is much more interested in offering an insight into a rich seam of potential talent still to emerge and astutely recording trainers' thoughts and opinions, than merely repeating the obvious.

Fourteen years of producing his flat and jumps annuals under his own steam have not dimmed his enthusiasm.

Once a correspondent on racing matters for the Westmorland Gazette, his reputation as "a good judge" and his well-crafted books have brought regular work for the national racing press and on TV.

His current book offers stable interviews with Luca Cumani, Ed Dunlop, Richard Fahery, William Haggas, Mark Johnston, David Nicholls, Roger Varian and others...and the winners have already started to flow.

If you are a racing fan, then this volume offers a wealth of pleasure throughout the summer that does not hit the pocket hard at £7.99 (price of a couple of pints) and I recommend it warmly.

It is available from WH Smiths or from Mark Howard Publications Ltd, 69 Fairgarth Drive, Kirkby Lonsdale, Carnforth, Lancashire LA6 2FB. (tel: 015242 71826 - website: www.mhpublications.co.uk