Market leaders stand ground

Ascot are looking forward to staging their "most competitive race of the year" on Saturday after 38 horses stood their ground yesterday for the £150,000 Tote International Stakes.

All the market leaders in the sponsors' ante-post betting on the seven-furlong race stand their ground, including Sunstreak, Grazia and Tajasur.

Last year's winner Jo Mell will bid for a repeat success 12 months on but jockey plans for the six-year-old remain undecided.

The weights are currently headed by the John Gosden-trained Russian Revival on 9st 7lb. Gosden will hold the key to many running plans as the withdrawal of Russian Revival would lead to the weights rising by at least 4lb. The trainer said he would discuss the decision with owner Maktoum Al Maktoum's racing manager Joe Mercer.

Kieren Fallon is set to resume his partnership with Ian Balding's Grangeville, on whom he won the Bunbury Cup at Newmarket last month. Nigel Tinkler has booked Michael Kinane for Sugarfoot, who has a good record at Ascot. The Ascot executive will be particularly pleased to note the presence of two French-trained horses - Bartex, trained by Tony Clout, and the Henri Van de Poele-trained Matin de Printemps - and one from Ireland among the entries.

Dermot Weld has entered TwoTwenty-Two in the contest. The son of Fairy King is a decent performer with some cut in the ground, as he showed when landing the Gladness Stakes at the Curragh on his seasonal bow.

The Geoff Wragg-trained Swallow Flight could bid for quick compensation after his fast-finishing second in the William Hill Mile at Goodwood last week.

Ettrick, fourth in a one-mile rated stakes at Newmarket last month, is likely to represent Alec Stewart, who also has Wokingham Handicap third Young Josh in the field.

York-bound Classic runners-up Nowhere To Exit and Noushkey were made new favourites for the St Leger at Doncaster yesterday. Coral quote the pair at 4 to 1 apiece for the final Classic of the season, in betting shaken up by Sunday's defeat of former market leader Endorsement in France.

John Dunlop is aiming French Derby second Nowhere To Exit at the Great Voltigeur Stakes at York before next month's Doncaster showpiece.