TOP-FLIGHT three-year-old colt Gatwick (4.00) looks the answer to the ultra-competitive mile-and-a-quarter £100,000 John Smith's Stakes at Newbury.

Excuse the pun, but it is no exaggeration to say that Gatwick absolutely "flew" up the hill to score in a lightening quick time at Beverley last time out.

And it was a victory all the more meritorious considering Mick Channon's representative was seemingly boxed in behind a wall of horses with nowhere to go at the two-furlong marker.

But such are the powers of acceleration possessed by Gatwick, he was still able to extricate himself from the pack and deliver a deadly late thrust with only a couple of hundred yards to travel.

Richard Quinn, who takes the ride on Gatwick (4.00), also has a great chance in the preceding Group 2 Mill Reef Stakes aboard Andronikos (3.30).

Paul Cole's big, scopey colt couldn't quite hold the challenge of Tony James in the Gimcrak at York, but Andronikos had the rest of the field nicely covered and without doubt is the least exposed of the nine-runner line-up.

David Barker's talisman, Celtic Mill, put up a lifetime best performance when picking up a Listed race at Doncaster's St Leger meeting.

The Scorton-based handler deserves plenty of credit for the way he has mapped out a money-spinning campaign for Celtic Mill (2.20), currently standing on the brink of an inaugural Group 3 success in the Dubai International Airport World Trophy at the Berkshire track.

Not many of Godolphin's bluebloods make it to Catterick, so I suspect all eyes will be on Saeed Bin Suroor's newcomer, Balkan Leader, in the opening two-year-old race at the track.

Being realistic, Balkan Leader (1.55) is not going to be one of the stable's leading lights, however it will be a major surprise if the superbly-bred colt is not in the shake-up come the end of the six-furlong contest.

Having won numerous times at the track over hurdles, Sue Smith's Bushido (4.40) now has the ideal opportunity to make his mark on the Flat.

Bushido has been in good form over the sticks this summer, recording runaway triumphs at both Wetherby and Market Rasen.

Given his relatively high hurdles rating, there seems no reason logical why he can't transfer that ability to the level, starting right with a win in the two-mile Richmond Handicap.

Having napped Linden's Lady (5.10) on her two most recent outings when finishing fourth and third respectively, it would be sheer folly to reject the John Weymes' trained Middleham raider for the closing seven-furlong Fillies' Handicap.

Linden's Lady, who is edging ever nearer to a return to the winners' enclosure, ran a stormer when finishing fifth from a wide at the course in August, plus is reunited with the excellent 3lb apprentice Tony Beech in her attempt to plunder the £4,000 event.

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