IN an era when poor prize money continues to blight British racing, Sandown is one of the few courses where a decent kitty is almost always guaranteed.

And this afternoon is no exception with the top-class south London venue putting up a minimum of £100,000 for the mile-and-a-quarter Tote Exacta Stakes.

James Fanshawe's Faraway Look will almost certainly go off favourite having chased home Mark Johnston's Takamaka Bay at Haydock on his only start so far this season, the latter emphatically franking the form by collecting at Royal Ascot.

Although Faraway Look seems sure to be in the shake-up, he may once again ultimately rue the inclusion in the field of another of Johnston's leading lights, Riberac (3.15)

Johnston has long been a thorn in the side of his southern counterparts when it comes to sniffing out the really big pots - he won this race in 1998 with Yavana's Pace.

Riberac wouldn't quite be in that league, nevertheless the five-year-old mare has done nothing but improve over the past couple of years, and she's as good as ever this term judged on a series on consistent efforts in similarly competitive class B handicaps.

Frankie Dettori tends to go for quality rather than quantity these days, a remark which unquestionably applies to his mount, Pride In Me (4.55), in the closing Calypso Handicap.

Ed Dunlop's ultra-consistent three-year-old has yet to finish out the frame, perhaps doing best of all when finishing runner-up to Silken Wings at Windsor in June.

Warwick specialist Renaissance Lady (3.05) bids to win her fifth race at the track in the one-mile-and-six-furlong Pyments Trophy.

In the corresponding contest 12 months ago when handled by Trevor Watson, she took home the silverware. Since Trevor's retirement the filly has been switched to David Arbuthnot's stable with no ill effects whatsoever.

Northern Echo tries yet again to break his duck in the Anne Lywood Maiden Handicap.

He could easily sneak into a place, however the one I prefer to finish first-past-the-post is Glen Vale Walk (4.10), an eye-catching third at Pontefract on Monday.

There's some decent action at Beverley's evening meeting where a small each-way wager in the seller on Patsy Culsyth (8.45) could pay the night's expenses.

Don Enrico Incisa's five-year-old mare has been crying out for a return to a stiff seven furlongs, and her chance would be considerably enhanced should the forecast thunderstorms ease the sting in the ground.

* Star Rage, Mark Johnston's evergreen 12-year-old stayer, won his 21st race on the flat at Southwell yesterday.

It was a particularly poignant victory since in his younger days, the versatile dual-purpose veteran won the County Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival when in the care of Jimmy Harris, who sadly died of a heart attack at the weekend, aged 66.

* Forum Finale won with effortless ease at Haydock yesterday to land a 6-1 winning nap for JANUS (Colin Woods).