EUROPA topped one of the Doncaster sales sessions last August and new owner Trevor Hemmings recouped some of his outlay when landing a good handicap chase at Kempton on Wednesday.

Formerly with Tom Tate, and one of our 15 to Follow last year, Europa is now trained by Ferdy Murphy. The eight-year-old's previous outing for new connections was when he was pulled up in a Grade 2 race at Aintree last month.

Barry Murphy, son and assistant trainer to Ferdy, said that jockey Jason Maguire felt he was a different horse this time.

The West Witton team had done a lot of schooling with him since Aintree and Murphy junior said: "The key to him is good ground. He's an exciting horse for the future."

Murphy's young claimer, Keith Mercer, a former amateur rider, has been in excellent form of late and rode a winner the same afternoon at Hexham, on Fashions Monty. He had also performed well and won on Ulusaba at Leicester on Monday, where Geoff Harker's claimer Niall Hannity also won, his mount being Farne Isle.

Patrick Haslam's Soleil D'Hiver never quite fulfilled early promise on the level, but Wednesday's Hexham win in the juvenile handicap hurdle under amateur Robert Stephens hinted she may have found her metier - although with just three runners, the form may be dodgy.

Trevor Hemmings' familiar yellow, green and white colours were also seen winning at Wetherby when Alan Dempsey donned them aboard the Chris Grant-trained Cruise Leader.

Newcastle on Friday saw Easterbys nephew and uncle on the scorecard, Tim sending out Classic Event under David O'Meara and Mick, Kings Square under amateur Tom Greenall.

We had no winners at the Cheltenham open meeting over the weekend, but Ferdy Murphy sent out Luzcadou to be third in the Sporting Index cross-country chase on Friday.

Declan Carroll's Caraman was second in the opener, a novice hurdle, on the Saturday, a big improvement on his former form. Patrick Haslam's You're Special was a respectable third on Sunday in the handicap chase over two and a half miles, no bad effort after a break of ten months.

Graham Lee had another cracking week, including a Wetherby double on Saturday, one of them for Micky Hammond on Manbow, and a Haydock win on Sunday for Ginger McCain, who reports Amberleigh House, Lee's National-winning partner, as being in good form en route to a repeat attack on the big one.

ON THE LEVEL

Robert Winston gained the title Cock o' the North for the first time this year, for his 94 winners during the British turf Flat season. Winston achieved this as a freelance and also enjoyed his first Group 1-winning ride on Magical Romance in the Cheveley Park.

Tim Easterby's young claimer David Allan was the top northern apprentice with 39 wins and Alex Greaves, wife of David Nicholls, was top woman rider with 12 wins.

On the all-weather, Karl Burke has been in good form, Paul Hanagan riding Atlantic Quest and Neil Callan on Harry Potter, both at Wolverhampton.

Callan won at Southwell on Wednesday for Kevin Ryan, partnering Quiet Times in a valuable sprint. Ryan said this sand specialist may now go to the Dubai Festival. Kevin Darley was seen in the Peter Savill colours on a homebred, Rancho Cucamonga, trained by David Barron.

Ann Stokell had gone 136 days without a winner as a trainer, but came good with her mother Caron's Black Sabbeth, which Ann rode herself to land spoils at 50-1. Noel Wilson had his tenth winner of the year on the level when young Donna Caldwell partnered Yenaled.

THE WEEK'S WINNERS

Fri. - Newcastle: Classic Event (trained by T Easterby, at Great Habton; owned by C H Stevens), ridden by D O'Meara; Kings Square (M Easterby, Sheriff Hutton; Hb (homebred by owners or connections), A G Black & J H Quickfall), Mr T Greenall.

Wolverhampton AW: Atlantic Quest (K Burke, Wensley; A Polignone), P Hanagan.

Sat. - Wetherby: Mr Christie (L Siddall, Colton; Lynn Siddall Racing), J Crowley; Classic Capers (M Jefferson, Norton; R Collins), F King (claiming 3lb allowance); Manbow (M Hammond, Middleham; Hope Springs Eternal), G Lee; Cruise Leader (C Grant, Wolviston; T Hemmings), A Dempsey.

Wolverhampton AW ev: Harry Potter (K Burke; F Jeffers), N Callan.

Mon. - Leicester: Farne Isle (G Harker, Wensley; Steer Arms Belton Racing Club), N Hannity (3); Ulusaba (F Murphy; D Climpson, C McHugh, J King), K Mercer (5).

Wed. - Kempton: Europa (F Murphy; T Hemmings), J Maguire.

Hexham: Soleil D'Hiver (P Haslam, Middleham; Middleham Park Racing), Mr R Stephens (7); Fashions Monty (F Murphy; Hb, B Mulholland), K Mercer (5).

Southwell AW: Rancho Cucamonga (D Barron, Maunby; Hb, P D Savill), K Darley; Yenaled (N Wilson, Malton; Watson Wilson McKinnon), D Caldwell (7); Quiet Times (K Ryan, Hambleton; Yorkshire Racing Club and F Moll), N Callan; Black Sabbeth (A Stokell, Brompton on Swale; Ms C Stokell), A Stokell.