WILTSHIRE raider Elsie Plunkett (3.10) is one long-distance traveller I fancy will not run out of fuel in the Harry Rosebery Stakes on the first day of Ayr's Western Meeting.

Richard Hannon's resolve to get the speedy two-year-old all the way up from the south of England to the Scottish track just goes to show how much he thinks of her.

"She's been giving me all of the right signs at home," remarked Hannon immediately prior to her fourth placing at Doncaster eight days ago. However that run was over six furlongs, which stretched Elsie Plunkett's stamina to the limit. Now switched back to the minimum distance, she's sure to give a good account in a fiercely-competitive event.

In the opening Ayrshire Hospice Selling Stakes Rathkenny (2.10) has his best chance to date of getting off the mark.

There was plenty of money in the ring for James Given's horse at Ripon last time when finishing fourth in a similar type of event. The fact so much cash came for Rathkenny suggests he has the ability to win a race of this nature, especially over today's extra two furlongs.

Bookmakers up and down the land will be rubbing their hands with glee at the prospect of chalking up their boards for the 27-runner Showcase Handicap.

It's an impossible contest to approach with any confidence and if you are planning to back my selection Statoyork (3.40), keep stakes to a minimum.

Father and son might well fight out the finish of the 4.10 as John and Ed Dunlop cross swords with Busy Lizzie and Sudden Flight.

John may have cause to regret teaching Ed his trade quite so proficiently since it is the mud-loving Sudden Flight who gets the vote.

Another soft-ground specialist Rhodamine (5.10) has conditions to suit in the closing Amateur Riders' Kilkerran Cup.

All of the colt's best form is with cut in the ground, including his battling victory at Redcar this term.

David Nicholls has once again waved his magic wand and conjured up any amount of improvement out of Yarmouth-bound American Cousin (2.55).

Successive wins at Salisbury and Chepstow have set up the hat-trick attempt in the Custom Kitchens Handicap, aided and abetted by a favourable high draw.

Bottom-weight King's Crest (3.55) could be the surprise package in the one-mile Nursery Handicap.

There's precious little speed in his pedigree and therefore he cannot be blamed for three moderate performances to date over sprint trips.

Leave the 4.55 to Late Arrival, reckoned capable of going one better having finished runner-up in a red-hot claimer at Newmarket recently.

l Jimmy Fortune was ruled out of the last day of the Ascot Festival as he earned the latest ban of a suspension-hit season at Yarmouth yesterday.

After he got Lokomotiv home a short-head winner in the Newtown Selling Stakes the stewards found him guilty of using the whip ''with excessive force'' and gave him a two-day ban (September 22 and 24)