Racing by Tom O'Ryan

Mark Johnston, who completed a near 158/1 double on Knavesmire yesterday with Alberich and Ice, can carry on the good work at tomorrow's final meeting of the season at Thirsk.

The Middleham trainer saddles Our People in the featured £10,000 Tote Hambleton Cup, and this progressive four-year-old has strong claims of notching his third win from four starts.

Our People gained his latest victory in fine style at Redcar last Saturday when beating Jedi Knight in determined fashion to provide crack Irish apprentice, Robbie Fitzpatrick, who has just joined the Johnston stable, with his first winner in Britain.

Fitzpatrick teams up with Our People again tomorrow and an encore looks on the cards.

The Yorkshire Yeomanry Fillies' Handicap could provide an opportunity for Cantina to get back on the winning trail.

Alan Bailey's consistent four-year-old, successful at Lingfield two outings ago, went down by less than a length when third to Tiler at Chester a fortnight ago. Clearly in good heart, she should go well over a slightly longer trip.

Murphy's Gold can not be left out of calculations, dropped in class, and should made a prominent showing in the Cellhire Selling Stakes. The promising Just Name It (2-40) and Shart (4-50) are also worth noting.

Tomorrow's principal action takes place at Haydock where the Group 1 £130,000 Stanley Leisure Sprint Cup take pride of place.

Ryedale trainer Richard Fahey will be double-handed here with Superior Premium and Eastern Purple, first and third in last months Stewards' Cup. Both horses face a steep rise in class, but if it rains overnight, these talented stable-mates are equally capable of causing an upset.

So too is Andreyev, a proven mudlark, who was most impressive when beating My Best Valentine in a Group 3 race at Deauville last weekend. With question marks about so many of the leading fancies. Andreyev is worthy of serious consideration so long as the expected rain arrives in time.

Tim Easterby has a high opinion of Mixsterthetrixster, and this smart juvenile gets his chance to prove himself in the Stanley Racing Conditions Stakes.

A runaway winner on his debut at Newcastle, Mixsterthetrixster found the muddling gallop and fast ground against him at York next time when he finished third to Tayil. He certainly deserves another chance tomorrow in the hand of Jimmy Fortune.

Fortune also has good prospects of hitting the bullseye aboard Mungo Park in the Stanley Leisure Group Handicap, though everything needs to go just right for Lynda Ramsden's sprinter to prevail.

The opening Stanley Casinos Rated Handicap sees Rokeby Bowl going for hat-trick of wins after scoring at Epsom and York. Raised only 4lb since his one length beating of Jaazim on Knavesmire, that increase will be offset by the allowance of smart apprentice Adrian Nicholls, which earns Rokeby Bowl the nap vote.

SELECTIONS

THIRSK: 2.10 Murphy's Gold, 2.40 Just Name It, 3.10 Truffle, 3.45 Cantina, 4.15 Our People, 4.50 Shart, 5.20 Mukarrab, 5.50 Archie BabeHAYDOCK: 2.00 ROKEBY BOWL (Nap), 2.30 Mixsterthe trixster, 3.00 Bajees, 3.30 Andreyev, 4.05 Tiler, 4.40 Mungo Park

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.