SHARPLAW Venture, a winner at Pontefract on her debut, has excellent prospects of hitting the jackpot at Ascot tomorrow.

The filly, trained by William Haggas, goes for the richest race on the televised card, the Watership Down Stud Sales Stakes, which carries total prize money of £250,000.

Having overcome greenness to make a winning bow at Pontefract, Sharplaw Venture then went to Chester and ran a cracking race to finish second to the useful Gallivant in much stronger company.

Things just did not pan out right for her around the tight Roodee course and, held-up for a late run, she was always playing catch-up to the winner, who stole first run.

Sharplaw Venture is still on the upgrade. With Richard Hills in the saddle, she is napped to come through tomorrow's test with flying colours - and a sizeable cheque for her owners.

Greenslades is an interesting runner in the Brunswick Handicap, the last of three races to be shown live on BBC2.

Trained by Peter Makin, whose horses are now back in form after a nightmare first half of the season, Greenslades easily got off the mark in a maiden race at Ayr last month. That victory followed-on from an excellent second-placed effort at Newmarket in the spring of the year.

Having had only three races in all, Greenslades remains something of an unknown quantity, but he looks potentially high-class and, if that is the case, he should take plenty of beating here from the bottom-end of the handicap. Jimmy Quinn has the mount.

Treble Heights, owned by Liverpool footballer Michael Owen, has bright prospects in the Harvest Stakes.

A runaway winner on her debut at Chester last month, the John Gosden-trained filly then ran a cracking race in defeat to finish second in the Park Hill Stakes at Doncaster's St Leger meeting.

Clearly useful, she can get back on top here.

Also worth noting at Ascot are the consistent Fool On The Hill (2-00) and the smart Mahroos (4-20).

At Redcar, John Dunlop's Sussex raiders look worth following.

The Arundel trainer seldom fires blanks when sending horses north, and the promising Shujune should get tomorrow's raiding party off to a good start in the European Breeders' Fund Maiden Fillies' Stakes.

A 5lb penalty may not stop Dunlop's recent winner King Eider from following-up in the featured Constant Security Handicap, while stablemate Condoleezza, after two placed efforts, is fancied to make it third-time-lucky in the Double Trigger Maiden Stakes. Seb Sanders gets the leg-up on all the Dunlop runners.

Tomorrow's tips:

ASCOT: 2-00 Fool On The Hill, 2-35 Treble Heights, 3-10 Sharplaw Venture (Nap), 3-45 Greenslades, 4.20 Mahroos, 4-55 Strathspey

REDCAR: 2-15 Shujune, 2-50 Warren Place, 3-25 Flow Beau, 4-00 King Eider, 4-35 Condoleezza, 5-05 Hurricane Coast, 5-35 Siouxsie Sioux

Updated: 12:24 Thursday, September 26, 2002