COUNT on Camberley (3.25) to pay the afternoon's expenses on the first day of Newmarket's Craven meeting.

Paul Cole's smart seven-furlong specialist owes his supporters a few quid after failing to justify favouritism on his seasonal reappearance at Kempton last month.

But maybe Cole didn't have his thinking cap on since he booked lightweight Jimmy Quinn to partner his charge, even though that meant Camberley (3.25) had an awful lot of lead to carry under his saddle.

So much dead weight can blunt a horse's acceleration, and it's good to see Kieren Fallon now takes charge of what is virtually his perfect racing weight at 8st 11lb in the Grantchester Rated Stakes.

Richard Hannon's massive two-year-old army is already on the move, Cornus (2.15) leading his foot soldiers with an impressive debut success at Windsor eight days ago.

The speedily-bred son of Inchinor bids to maintain his unbeaten record in the Federation of Bloodstock Agents Conditions Stakes, not an impossible "ask" considering he has significant scope for further improvement

I was on hand to see Local Poet (2.55) make a winning comeback at Doncaster's Lincoln meeting, a victory achieved despite looking distinctly tubby in the parade ring.

Realising it was a weak race, his canny handler, Bryan McMahon, had clearly left plenty to work on as far as Local Poet's physique and general state of fitness was concerned.

Given he'll probably have a much sharper edge to his overall condition, Local Poet could well hold too many guns for the opposition in the £14,000 David Oldrey Conditions Stakes.

Local trainer Michael Jarvis, responsible for Saturday's 9-4 winning nap, Anak Pekan, can do us another favour by landing the opener at Flat racing's headquarters with Buckeye Wonder (1.45).

Twice placed in big-field maidens over one mile last term, the selection seems sure to relish the step up to ten furlongs in the Giles Fox Stakes. "He's a nice galloping sort who looks a future winner," said Jarvis.

Over the sticks at Exeter, the promising conditional rider, Wayne Hutchinson, takes a handy 3lb off Lilac's back in the gg.com Novices Handicap Hurdle.

Like so many mares, Lilac enjoys a bit of sunshine, with her sole career triumph coming at Uttoxeter last June. The weather in the west-country has not surprisingly been much milder than up here, which could spur the five-year-old to notch win number two in the two-mile-and-one-furlong event.

* Mick Fitzgerald recorded a historic victory at Plumpton yesterday when his success on Tollbrae took him above Stan Mellor in the all-time list of jump jockeys.

It was the 1,036th winner of his career, lifting him one clear of Mellor into sixth place, which is headed by Tony McCoy.

Others still ahead of him are Richard Dunwoody, Peter Scudamore, Richard Johnson and John Francome.

Fitzgerald, 33, said: ''I rode my first winner in December 1988 on Lovers Secret at Ludlow - and my immediate aim is to ride at Exeter tomorrow!

''I have no thoughts of retiring from riding at all. I hope I can go on for much longer and maybe go even further up the order.''

Fitzgerald has never won the jockeys' title but has landed a Grand National on Rough Quest and a Cheltenham Gold Cup on See More Business.

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