COLLIER HILL (2.45) bids to keep this afternoon's Yorkshire Cup on home soil for his North Yorkshire trainer, Alan Swinbank.

The remarkable eight-year-old, trained at Melsonby, near Richmond, has mopped up over £1 million in prize money during one of the most amazing rags-to-riches tales ever to unfold in the history of British racing.

Swinbank prides himself on seeking out bargain-priced horses for an ever-growing band of owners, but even he surpassed himself when snapping up Collier Hill for a miserly 5,500 guineas.

It was the shrewd former Newmarket handler Ron Boss who coined the phrase: "I buy racehorses cheap - not cheap racehorses," and it is that very maxim which has been the secret of Swinbank's success over recent years.

In terms of prestige, the pinnacle of Collier Hill's achievements to date came when claiming the 2005 Irish St Leger, a first Group 1 victory for the horse, trainer, and his ever-present jockey, Dean McKeown.

But the story doesn't end there because less than two months ago at the Dubai World Cup meeting, Swinbank's star bagged a cool £581,395 for finishing second in the Sheema Classic.

As far as the big numbers are concerned the total available prize money of £140,000 for the Yorkshire Cup cannot match the United Arab Emirates gilt - nonetheless it's a stack of readies not to be sniffed at.

"Ideally he wants good ground, but good to soft should be OK. We won't run if it gets really heavy," warned Swinbank, who would in an ideal world like to take Collier Hill down under for a crack at the Melbourne Cup in the autumn.

There could be more local reason for cheer if as expected Peppertree Lane (2.15) does his stuff for Mark Johnston in the preceding VC Casino.com Handicap.

The Peter Savill-owned three-year-old showed courage beyond the call of normal duty when narrowly staving off James Fanshaw's Font in a battle of wills on his Ripon reappearance.

Peppertree Lane has been given 29 days to recover from that war of attrition and given the son of Peintre Celebre is open to improvement, there might be much more to come from the hardy colt.

Racing North ten-to-follow pick, Borderlescott (3.50), can only be regarded as a tentative selection as he's been on the sidelines for 223 days.

In the credit column, Robin Bastiman's sprinter, trained just a few miles from the track not far from Wetherby, is a previous course and distance scorer with an extremely progressive profile.

Newbury's card offers the chance to back Little Bob (4.05), a lively outsider in the ten-furlong Stan James Handicap.

Trained at Middleham by James Bethell, underfoot conditions look spot-on for Little Bob, a gelding who doesn't always produce the goods such is his laid back attitude to life.

Despite his occasional lapses into lethargy, Little Bob possesses a good deal of ability and if he's in a going mood, each-way backers are likely to be rewarded off a handicap mark which is far from harsh at present.

Get more racing online at www.racing-north.co.uk.