MY annual summer racing tour was supposed to have me at Galway on Thursday for Day 4 of what's become a seven-day marathon which can make or break a punter for the rest of the year. However, a now- rejected travelling itinerary which would have had Judith Chalmers screaming for Valium means I can take up an invitation for the Hearts race night at Musselburgh instead.

The week will then be rounded off by Hamilton Park's Ladies Night on Saturday when Hamilton Accies will get in on the act by displaying the First Division trophy won last season on route to the SPL. It's the first of five meetings at the Lanarkshire venue in August and Accies boss Billy Reid is in for a treat as he's been asked to join the judging panel for the Best Dressed Lady competition.

If the warm weather holds they may well want to rename it Least Dressed Lady competition but I'm sure Billy and his players won't mind too much ahead of a season which sees them offered at a general 5000/1 to win the title and a top-priced 5/6 with Bet365 to finish bottom and head straight back down.

My man in the pie queue at places like Dens Park, Firhill and Palmerston last season reckons Reid's kids will be nobody's pushovers in the top flight and his optimism makes me wonder, rather apprehensively given my North Ayrshire roots, whether Kilmarnock (12/1 to finish bottom) might just be due to do a Dunfermline and relinquish what has seemed a God-given right to SPL football for the past few seasons.

I just can't see stuffy St Mirren going down again in the short term and rock solid Inverness Caley Thistle will surely finish mid-table or better. So, unless you think John Hughes is suddenly going to lose the plot at Falkirk, well managed but seemingly cash-strapped Killie look the most viable alternative to Accies for the relegation spot at what looks a very generous price.

WELCOME CHANGE OF AYR BEFORE I'm stripped of my Ayrshire passport and my chances of earning the freedom of Saltcoats disappear forever, may I just drop in a word of praise for Ayr racecourse last Monday when an excellent card of racing was made even better by the track's superb facilities for the kids on what was a busy holiday weekend.

Most tracks I visit station the kiddies entertainment (if there is any) miles away from horses and bookmakers, making most parents feel they might as well have gone to the local play-park for the day instead of forking out upwards of £50 to go racing. At Ayr though, even if the kids were bouncing on a castle or getting their faces painted, you were never too far from the adult action.

With two ankle-biters in tow myself, this convenience, allied with more than enough ice cream and drinks outlets, made for an excellent day all round and there was even time to note one or two eye- catchers for the future, particularly in the juvenile race over six furlongs which was recently the starting point in the career of subsequent dual French classic winner Shamardal.

That horse started out in the care of Mark Johnston, who also supplied the winner this time, an American- bred colt called Weatherstaff which won despite prancing round the paddock on five legs in the kind of mood a local wordsmith might once have suggested meant he had cutty sarks in mind as opposed to galloping. Possibly not the kind of beast to be exposed to Hamilton's Ladies Night on Saturday but a smart colt nonetheless.

The same applies to Linda Perratt's well-touted Falbrav newcomer, New Tricks, a horse which had made such giant strides in the past month that thoughts of him being kept for next year had been shelved.

On this his track debut though, New Tricks missed the break completely and was never going to get competitive but although the form book reports he was beaten 14 lengths, he was roaring home in the final furlong and looks as though he is a very smart sort indeed which will be well suited by seven furlongs or a mile.

There could well be a decent race at Hamilton for him on Saturday night and if Perratt and assistant Ian Semple decide to go down that route rather than go for an easier maiden opportunity elsewhere, then the hint should be taken. Look out too for their sprint handicapper, Curtail, which looks to be really coming to himself and is sure to land a good prize soon.

BANK ON NEW BOYS BACKING Motherwell on the SPL handicap at 9/1 with a 42-point start proved to be a nice bit of business for this column last season but with the first handicap prices out last week from Skybet, it seems Mark McGhee's men are only going to get 32 points of a start this time around, the same number as Dundee United, which could prove a better value bet.

Further down the leagues though, I'm intrigued and puzzled as to why the bookmakers think Annan Athletic are going to prove a useless addition to the SFL, with most firms pricing them up as 33/1 outsiders and 6/4 favourites to finish bottom. The win odds are probably fair but Skybet's handicap mark of +26 points looks great early value at the lower-league handicap price of 15/2.

Annan have been signing lots of players for their first season in the Third Division and with East Fife gone from that league now, they should be able to take points from plenty of clubs.

Better bets may become apparent in the next two weeks but I'll be disappointed if Annan can't make enough of an impression to get competitive with their imaginary advantage for betting purposes.