NEON BLUE is fancied to lighten up an otherwise dull season for Scarcroft-near-Leeds handler Richard Whitaker in Doncaster's St Leger Yearling Stakes.

Winners have been very scarce in the Whitaker' camp this term, although Neon Blue (4.05) has been running with more zest than the majority of his stablemates.

Unfortunately like most sports, racing's winner-take-all mentality means few remember those who finish second, the fate to befall the selection on his last two outings.

The official ratings suggest it is going to take a leap of faith to believe that Neon Blue can beat some of his more highly regarded southern rivals such as the likely favourite Seeking Answers - however this column has never been afraid of taking on the big guns from Newmarket.

The reasons behind recommending an each-way wager on Neon Blue stem from two areas of optimism.

For starters he clocked a pretty decent speed figure when chasing home Bahamian Breeze at Thirsk in August, and secondly, there is plenty of scope for improvement now that the son of Atraf steps up to six furlongs for the first time.

The big-race of the day, the seven-furlong £200,000 Champagne Stakes, is a Group 1 event in all but name.

Fittingly the finish could be fought out between the two men currently occupying first and second place in the battle for the trainer's championship, Sir Michael Stoute and Mark Johnston, represented respectively by Auditorium and Love Story (2.25).

Love Story, a real colossus of a colt, probably would have won the Group 2 Veuve Cliquot Stakes at Goodwood more easily had he not idled once hitting the front at the two furlong pole.

As for Auditorium, well he didn't even break sweat when dismissing a useful field in the Ripon Champion Two-Year-Old Stakes with utter disdain.

It's a fascinating clash and preference for Love Story is on the basis that Johnston's stable has done so many favours in the past.

Alan Jarvis has not wasted any time in whipping out Star Member, runner-up just six days ago at Haydock where he nearly managed to foil a substantial gamble on The Persuader.

Star Member (2.20) has only been lightly campaigned and is therefore relatively unexposed as far as the Official Handicapper is concerned.

Given the comparative lack of data to analyse, it might well turn out that the four-year-old has crept in the Tote sponsored Mallard Stakes with a real fighting weight.

On the downside it is admittedly an extremely competitive mile-and-six-furlong affair, however to get within a neck of The Persuader was a truly magnificent effort and if Star Member turns out to be that good he'll take an awful lot of beating in the £30,000 contest.

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