BRYAN SMART'S runners normally excel themselves at Southwell, boding well for the prospects of Bond Brooklyn (2.40) and Ellen Mooney (3.10) on the fibresand.

Bond Brooklyn appears to be the proverbial "steering job," having chased home a pretty smart John Gosden-trained youngster at Ayr last time out.

That race was a nursery, whereas Bond Brooklyn now takes a significant drop in class for division two of the Bet Direct Median Auction Stakes, a six-furlong contest well within his remit given luck in running.

Ellen Mooney's chance is not quite so clear-cut in the betdirect.co.uk Handicap on account of having to shoulder top-weight around the testing one-mile circuit.

Some punters will take the view that Smart's mare is not up to the task, but following a terrific effort when touched off by a gnat's whisker at Hamilton, I believe Ellen Mooney has got what it takes to win her first race at the course.

Always predisposed to a bit of cut in the ground when performing on turf, Ellen Mooney ought really to be ideally suited by the fibresand, which is reputed to ride the equivalent of "good to soft" on grass.

She's also gone down a good few pounds in the weights after a winless spell stretching back to March of 2002, which along with the current excellent form of the yard, should go a long way to helping her cause in the £2,750 contest.

It's very much a case of after the Lord Mayor's show for Jamie Osborne, who landed his inaugural Group 1 win with Milk It Mick at the weekend, but is now back down to earth with a bump, saddling Claptrap (5.10) in the lowly mile-and-a-half Sky Text Handicap.

Claptrap should be a track and trip scorer, but his jockey Fran Ferris failed to push his mount out to the winning line in June and was caught right on the post by Sambaman.

Ferris was banned for three weeks - scant compensation for the connections of the selection.

The pick of the action at Yarmouth takes place in the Weatherbys Bank Conditions Stakes, a six-furlong event for two-year-olds.

The almost certain market leader and my choice to collect the £7,000 contest is Rum Shot (4.20), so impressive when running away with quite a decent maiden at Windsor at the beginning of the month.

Henry Candy's colt produced a searing turn of foot that day and according to some well-respected judges possesses further physical scope for improvement.

* Leading jump jockey Norman Williamson has announced his retirement from the saddle at the age of 34.

Winner of 1,268 races, the Cork-born rider made the decision following medical advice after suffering two crashing falls.

''I went for a scan in London last week and the reports back were not very good,'' he said.

''The discs in my neck were not settling down and I could have been in serious trouble.

''I'm taking the sensible route and biting the bullet. I've had a good innings and ridden some great horses.''

* Mark Johnston achieved a personal best of 135 domestic winners for the season with one of the least important victories of the campaign when Denise Best scored at Pontefract yesterday.

Johnston's horses have earned £195,000 in win and place money in Britain, with several victories abroad boosting the total further, and he is second in the money list behind Sir Michael Stoute.

Denise Best brought in £2,929 for sticking on well to hold Compton Drake by a short-head in the Sponsor A Race At Pontefract Handicap.

It was Denise Best's second run since she joined Johnston from Karen George.

''I think that's our best domestic total in a season. We have achieved our goals, anything else is a bonus,'' said Johnston, fresh from saddling one of his many classy two-year-olds, Pearl Of Love, to victory in the Gran Criterium in Italy on Sunday.

''Little fish are sweet,'' he went on. ''I have had trouble getting her into a race. I have kept entering without success."

New Mexican, not far behind Group One winners Pearl Of Love and Milk It Mick when fourth in the Chesham Stakes at Royal Ascot, landed a decent success with a game performance in the £35,000 Tote Bookmakers Silver Tankard Stakes