IT'S often said about sprints that you could run the same race a dozen times and end up with a different winner each time. The sage who first came up with that pearl of wisdom doubtless did so after being driven up the wall and round the bend by a mad dash exactly like this afternoon's GNER Scottish Sprint Cup at Musselburgh.
Seventeen go to post in search of the £50,000 prize, and if top-weight Nota Bene, who is returning from a long spell on the sidelines, were to win, it would cause the odd spot of head scratching. Any other outcome, however, and not an eyebrow will be
raised.
Old-timer The Tatling is sure to be a popular choice among the huge crowd to land the GNER-sponsored contest following his last time out course and distance win when he had a couple of today's rivals behind him.
The Aberdeenshire-owned ten-year-old loves to attack late off a fast pace, and about the only sure thing about the race is that they'll be going like the clappers from start to finish.
If the big purse is to stay at home, River Falcon looks the pick of Jim Goldie's trio as the Renfrewshire trainer bids to emulate Linda Perratt, who won the sprint for Scotland with Xanadu when it was first run in 2000.
Former Ayr Gold Cup winner Fonthill Road has class to spare but may find this sharp five furlongs counting against him, and while Fantasy Believer signalled a return to form when fourth at Epsom last week he's another who might prefer a shade further.
Neither are out of it though and nor is Bond City, who was another to run well on the Downs when he was beaten less than two lengths by Hogmaneigh. The 7lbs taken off his back by the claim of his Borders-born pilot Neil Brown will do his cause no harm either.
Lower down the handicap, Bluebok, who landed the consolation event on the card 12 months ago, could go close under another promising and in-form apprentice Duran Fentiman, but all this sitting on the fence is giving me splinters in a very tender part of my anatomy so time to call a halt to the dithering and side with Tournedos.
Winning big sprints is nothing new for Dandy Nicholls, and while the chances of the selection may not be immediately apparent, closer scrutiny suggests he holds a live each-way shout.
A Group winner as a juvenile, Tournedos has so far failed to hit the heights for Nicholls that, in the past, he has scaled for others, but there have been enough hints that he still retains plenty of ability and it's early days to write him off.
He will appreciate returning to the minimum distance after running over six furlongs on his latest start, and although well beaten by both The Tatling and River Falcon at Musselburgh last month, he enjoys a healthy pull at the weights with the pair of them this time.
Newmarket-based David Elsworth makes a very rare trip north today and he should be rewarded with a double thanks to Balkan Knight and Pathos.
The latter has only had the one run, shaping well in a Headquarters maiden liberally sprinkled with representatives from many of the top yards. With that experience under his belt, Pathos can help punters bring a tear to the eyes of the bookies as hopefully will the nap Perfect Courtesy in Haydock's finale.
The £30,000 Perth Gold Cup, the highlight of the card at Scone Palace tomorrow, can go to the lightly weighted Rare Society, and while Perth and Towcester are like chalk and cheese, Michael Scudamore's The Wicket- keeper should follow up his victory at the Northamptonshire track in the two miles handicap chase.
As always, the call from Sam Morshead and his team at Britain's most northerly course is to Come Racing, and it's much the same message from Musselburgh, albeit with a slight proviso.
The meeting at the East Lothian circuit is a sell-out and those who haven't pre-booked won't get in so in this instance, it's a case of Come Racing - but only if you've got a ticket.
