DAVID ELSWORTH'S Salford City (2.55) appears to hold rock-solid credentials for this afternoon's UltimateBet.com 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket.

Elsworth needs a lift following the death of his long-serving stable stalwart Persian Punch, who collapsed and died from a heart attack in front of the grandstands at Ascot on Wednesday.

To lose such an undisputedly great horse was a hammer blow to Elsworth, but the show must go on and in the shape of Salford City he has another potential superstar on his hands.

Even before Salford City made his scintillating recent reappearance in the Group 3 Greenham Stakes at Newbury, the cat was already out of the bag as far as the vibes for today's Classic encounter were concerned.

It seems that prior to that exciting winning return the three-year-old had been burning up Elsworth's Whitsbury-based gallops in breathtaking style, prompting a few insiders to snap up double-digit odds about Salford City for today's Group 1 showpiece.

With all of the fancy prices long-since evaporated, the selection is now best priced at a miserly 9-2 to beat the hot favourite from Ireland, Aidan O'Brien's unbeaten One Cool Cat. The messages from O'Brien's Ballydoyle stronghold are also extremely favourable concerning One Cool Cat's prospects, however, such was the fantastic change of gear shown by Salford City to overtake the entire field at Newbury, he could be the one they all have to beat.

The Thirsk Hunt Cup has attracted a terrific 18-runner maximum field for the £18,000 Class C one-mile Handicap.

A low to midfield draw is normally best on the round course, so confidence in the tip, Chappel Crescent (4.25), has to be slightly tempered by the fact he is set to emerge from stall ten.

Nevertheless, the David Nicholls inmate boasted some pretty useful efforts when trained in his native Ireland, including a third behind the ultra-smart Group 1-placed Tomahawk at The Curragh just over a year ago.

Admittedly, Chappel Crescent has taken an age to get his act together on this side of the Irish Sea, but he has finally begun to find his feet judged on an excellent second at Newmarket 18 days ago, which is stand-out form in the context of this afternoon's event.

The valuable Swinton Hurdle is the centrepiece of a cracking card at Haydock, a race traditionally run at a furious gallop.

Martin Pipe's Westender and Copeland should both be on the premises, although the one I marginally prefer is Howle Hill (1.40), who only has ten stone to shoulder in the £70,000 contest.

Having whipped the pants off the top novices Made in Japan and Dictum at Wincanton this term, not to mention finishing fifth in the Triumph Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival, I would have thought the handicapper might have taken a harsher view and allotted Howle Hill more weight.

In the preceding Stanleybet Long Distance Handicap Hurdle, Kivotos (1.10) should not be missed.

Built like a tank with an engine to match, Kivotos has done nothing except improve over the past 12 months. For my money he'll eventually make a top-flight chaser, but until the switch is made there's still plenty of loot to be picked up over the smaller obstacles.

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