WOE betide any suicidal jockeys going off too fast at York this afternoon because the cloying mud of the rain-stricken Knavesmire will surely reduce the lactic acid-filled limbs of their mounts to jelly.

Tony Hamilton will hopefully have the job sorted as he spearheads Richard Fahey's quintet aboard Avoriaz (3.15), subject of significant ante-post support for the £150,000 John Smith's Cup.

Due to water-damage on the far side of the track, crucially the race has been reduced from its traditional distance of a mile-and-a-quarter to nine furlongs.

Since Avoriaz won over that self-same trip of nine furlongs at Ayr, it's clear Hamilton's partner is one of the few potential benefactors of the flooding which has compromised some areas of the course.

As far as Fahey's other four runners go, Fortunate Isle, on a roll after successive victories at Beverley and Ripon, cannot be discounted, but both Flying Clarets and Charlie Tokyo look high in the weights.

That just leaves Smart Instinct, who will be entering unknown territory stamina-wise come the final furlong, but he's a class act and along with Avoriaz, warrants an each-way wager.

"We don't know whether Avoriaz will go on the ground, he had a bit of form when in France and we're still learning about him. Smart Instinct is a very talented horse and one we like a lot," said Fahey.

It's amazing what a gelding operation can achieve, witness the total transformation of The Grey Berry (2.10), unbeaten after the removal of his wedding tackle.

Tim Walford's three-year-old, trained not far away at Sheriff Hutton, won hard-held at Beverley last Saturday, expending not one ounce of energy as he toyed with his rivals in the closing stages.

Admittedly The Grey Berry now takes on far sterner opposition in the opening Cask Stakes, however a four-timer possibly beckons given his stellar rate of improvement.

Sorting out the pecking order for the Extra Smooth Stakes is a far more mind-bending exercise, such is the competitive nature of the 14-strong field.

One of the most relevant form lines revolves around Damika's (3.50) performance at Pontefract on Tuesday, when he finished second to Turnkey.

Richard Whitaker's representative went particularly well seeing as that was a six-furlong contest, whereas the pick of his career runs have come over today's seven-furlong distance.

There's plenty of reason to believe Damika is approaching concert pitch, which must buoy those punters preparing to dip into their funds and invest on the useful four-year-old.

The stop clock doesn't always tell the full story, although in the case of Ascot-bound Borasco (3.25), who posted a decent time when winning his Redcar maiden in June, notice needs to be duly logged.

David Barron never takes his horses down south unless they have a first-rate chance, therefore the very fact he's targeted the Ruddy Nursery gives every indication of a positive outcome.

In what could turn out to be a very profitable raid for his Maunby-near-Thirsk stables, Barron also has excellent prospects with Skyelady (4.00), bidding for a hat-trick in the Sony United Handicap.

He has opted to book Neil Brown to do the steering on Skyelady, a canny move in view of the way the 7lbs claimer has come on in leaps-and-bounds during the past few months.

Brown's been around for a while, but his career seemed to be heading nowhere until given the chance to shine on one or two better horses this year, opportunities he's grasped with both hands.

There's just no stopping Bryan Smart, attempting to top-up his current near 40 per cent strike-rate with Fathom Five (3.35) , who has his eyes fixed on a four-timer in the Listed City Wall Stakes at Chester.

The official ratings indicate Fathom Five has a bit to find to with the likes of former Royal Ascot scorer Fayr Jag, but granted the selection's recent explosive efforts, he warrants the utmost respect.

Greg Fairley is having a pretty special week. First of all he booted home his first ever treble at Ayr, then followed up by winning one of the big-money Newmarket handicaps on Hearthstead Maison.

Fairley can be seen in action at Hamilton this evening where Neil's Legacy (8.50) might well be capable of defying his 6lbs penalty in the Sunday Mail Handicap.