TONY MARTIN, out of luck with Leg Spinner in the Swinton Hurdle at Haydock on Saturday, was back on the big-race trail at Killarney yesterday when Northern Alliance landed the valuable Murphys’ Irish Stout Handicap Hurdle.

Ringaroses will miss next week’s Coral Cup at the Cheltenham Festival after suffering an injury setback.

AL EILE is one of several classy National Hunt performers among the 42 entries for the Crosssmaglen Benefit Night Race over a mile and a half at Dundalk on Friday.

A monster 156 entries, headed by recent Cheltenham winner Aigle D’Or, have been received for the Ballymore Properties Novices’ Hurdle at the Festival.

TWIST Magic will miss his intended seasonal bow in today’s William Hill Gold Cup at Exeter as Paul Nicholls is reluctant to risk the smart chaser under top weight on fast ground.

TWO things happened at Newmarket last Saturday which had to leave you, if not apoplectic, then at least a mite perplexed.

New Approach duly emulated his former stable companion Teofilo as European champion two-year-old with victory in the Darley Dewhurst Stakes.

Tony Martin believes the key to Leg Spinner’s improvement in form to land the Cesarewitch at Newmarket on Saturday can be attributed to the ground drying out.

Leg Spinner was given a quote of just 33-1 for the Smurfit Kappa Champion Hurdle after storming to victory on the Flat in the £2.5m totescoop6 Cesarewitch at Newmarket.

Tony Martin is hoping the ground dries out at Newmarket in time for Leg Spinner’s bid for the £2.5m totescoop6 Cesarewitch tomorrow.

SEAN FLANAGAN, yet another of the up-and-coming young jockeys in Ireland at the moment, was seen to particularly good effect when taking the Kerry Spring Water Hurdle aboard Kingsmaster at the final stage of the Listowel Festival yesterday.

THE consistent and tough Fracas is fancied to defy top weight in the Listed Diamond Stakes at Fairyhouse this afternoon.

Eugene O’Sullivan believes there could be one more big race in Head Waiter before the handicapper takes his toll, and he would like it to be in tomorrow’s Listowel Races Supporters Club Lartigue Hurdle.

A Hugh Bowman and Yutaka Take-inspired Rest Of The World side landed the honours in what turned out to be a thrilling battle for the Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup at Ascot.

ATTENDANCES may have been down, as was bookmaker turnover, but this was still a cracking Galway.

Nintytwo Team made a mockery of being 20lb wrong at the weights to claim the spoils in the €55,000 Freshways Handicap Hurdle at Galway today.

DERMOT WELD can keep punters ticking over nicely by saddling Unwritten Rule to win the Dawn Juice EBF Maiden at Galway this afternoon.

TONY MARTIN’S Leg Spinner toyed with his rivals on the way to landing the williamhill.ie Handicap Hurdle at Galway yesterday, writes Pat Keane.

Liam Burke, better known for selling successful point-to-pointers, landed the feature event of the Galway Festival when Sir Frederick won the valuable William Hill-sponsored Plate.

Leg Spinner, ante-post favourite for the totesport Cesarewitch, is “very doubtful” to run in the two-mile-two-furlong hike at Newmarket on Saturday week.

FRAN BERRY continues to blaze the trail in the jockeys’ championship, moving two clear of Michael Kinane when partnering the evergreen Penny Rich to victory in the Slievenamon Claiming Race at Clonmel last night.

THERE are very few handlers in this country capable of playing the system with the same skill as Tony Martin.

A gamble that included one bet of £15,000 at the eventual starting price of 9-1 was landed when Tony Martin’s Irish raider Leg Spinner skittled his rivals in the Ascot Stakes at Royal Ascot at York.