WEEKEND wages are proving mighty rewarding for the former champion jockey Kevin Darley.

Last Saturday he picked up a very handy near ten per cent of £240,000 - his share of the first prize for booting home Tim Easterby's Bollin Eric in the St Leger at Doncaster.

And today Darley has a great chance of creaming off the same percentage of the £65,000 up for grabs in the Tote Ayr Gold Cup aboard Croeso Croeso (4.05) in the annual Scottish six furlong cavalry charge.

John Spearing's amazing four-year-old has won five times this season, rising a staggering 37lb in handicap as a result.

For most horses that extra weight would stop them dead in their tracks, but not Croeso Croeso, who has simply laughed in the face of the Official Handicapper.

Cynics may point out that she was beaten into fourth spot at Sandown last time, however the fact is Spearing's filly would have won doing handsprings with the benefit of clear run.

"She has only won once over six furlongs, but loves a fast-run race and has a good turn of foot so should be okay," said Darley. The history books support the theory that improving fillies have a decent record in the race.

In 1992 Ian Balding's Lochsong romped away with the Cup, and Karl Burke's Daring Destiny won it in 1994 - both going on to Group race glory.

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