THIRSK'S Hunt Cup may not be the richest race of the day but it is one of the most exciting, with a maximum field of 18 runners lining up to rip round the sharp home turn.

Low numbers normally have the call, being drawn against the favoured inside side rail, however there are always exceptions to the rule and even though Yakimov (4.00) will be starting in the cheap seats from stall 17, I still believe he can win. Yakimov hammered some pretty modest rivals on the sand at Wolverhampton last time out, having previously put in a brace of decent efforts in much stronger turf handicaps at Doncaster and Newbury.

Paul Cole's raider proved at Wolverhampton that he's well suited going left-handed and while jockey Paul Hanagan will have to bide his time in the £20,000 one-mile event, when he does put his foot to the floor and kick in the turbo, Yakimov might leave them all standing.

The £70,000 Swinton Handicap Hurdle at Haydock is a two-mile jumps contest to savour.

Twelve months ago Kevin Ryan's Gralmano finished second to Intersky Flacon. As the latter went on to dispute favouritism for the Champion Hurdle, the form is without question gilt-edged.

Gralmano (1.40) is now 12lb higher in the weights, but the opposition does not appear quite as severe and despite the extra lead he has to carry, Gralmano might go one better this time round.

Darryll Holland will be bitterly disappointed at missing Newmarket, where there are much bigger fish to be fried.

The only conceivable compensation for not having a crack at the 2,000 Guineas is to enjoy a profitable afternoon at the West Midlands' venue and Orientor (3.20) is a likely candidate to fulfil his ambitions in the Merewood Homes Conditions Stakes.

Orientor has won top sprints at the likes of York and Ascot in the past, loves to get his toe in, and made a more-than-encouraging comeback at Doncaster's Lincoln meeting, when touched off in the last few strides by Red Carpet.

The supporting card for the 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket is, as expected, jam-packed with mouth-watering affairs.

David Nicholls reckons his Bahamian Pirate (1.45) was desperately unlucky not to beat his stable-mate Continent to claim the 2002 Group 1 July Cup.

And it was a similar story in the Prix l'Abbaye at Longchamp, where with a better draw he might also have won. Such consistency in the very best of sprint company has got to be rewarded sooner or later and if he runs up to his official rating in the Group 3 Palace House Stakes, Bahamian Pirate will surely bring the first prize of over £30,000 back to North Yorkshire. The Nicholls bandwagon may not stop there, because in the later Ladbrokes Handicap, previous track-and-trip winner Fire Up The Band (2.55) has to be regarded as a leading contender.

Fire Up The Band blitzed a red-hot field at Ascot on his reappearance and there can little doubt that the four-year-old speed merchant is a hugely progressive individual.

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