ASCOT'S Watership Down Stud Sales Race has not surprisingly attracted a near maximum field of 27 runners on account of the colossal £250,000 worth of prize money up for grabs.

The entry conditions of the immensely valuable six-furlong contest tend to exclude many of the major players such as Aidan O'Brien and Saeed Bin Suroor, a fact not missed on typical Yorkshire shrewdies like Tim Easterby, who has an excellent record in "Sales" races.

Judging by the fact that Tim seems to have saved Spark Up (3.10) for this prestigious two-year-old event, it suggests he is confident of a major result.

After all, Easterby was spot-on with Somnus, who lifted the £200,000 St Leger Sales Race for his stable at Doncaster, and if favourable home gallops reports are correct, Spark Up is pretty useful too.

Spark Up has raced just twice to date, scoring in emphatic style on her debut at Beverley in June, prior to finishing a creditable third to Tilak and Redding at Ripon late last month.

Both of those races were over the minimum trip, and both times the filly appeared as if there would be plenty of improvement to come once she was stepped up in trip.

Rhythm of Life (4.55), who did us a monster favour when landing a 9-1 winning nap for the column at Sandown nine days ago, is strongly fancied to repeat the feat in the closing one-mile TBA Handicap.

The John Hills' trained three-year-old won despite a funereal early pace at Sandown, a situation I'm sure will not arise today with plenty of pace-setters in among Rhythm of Life's 15 opponents.

Punters at Redcar should not miss the opportunity to relieve the local bookies of a few shillings by backing Gaelic Princess (2.50) in the September Nursery.

Kevin Ryan is enjoying by far-and-away his most profitable season and Gaelic Princess chipped in her two pennyworth with a battling victory at Beverley in August.

Ryan's filly then arguably stepped up on that effort when sixth in a red-hot race at Doncaster's St Leger meeting, giving the impression there was still plenty more to come from the gutsy juvenile.

One promising young northern apprentice jockey just beginning to get the recognition she deserves is Leanne Kershaw, who has struck up a fine partnership with Snow Bunting (5.35), trained by her boss, Jedd O'Keeffe, at Middleham.

Leanne has twice won on Snow Bunting this term, including over course and distance last time out when the pair clocked a particularly fast time.

Although they've risen a few pounds in the weights since, a follow-up victory could well be on the cards in the Levy Board Apprentice Handicap.

Henry Cecil's Haydock raiders normally do well, so if his newcomer Dionea (2.25) is any good at all, she'll take all the beating in the opening Wheatland Maiden Stakes.

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