Muir hoping Lightning can strike

Willie Muir has his fingers crossed Sweet Lightning makes the cut for the 50th John Smith's Cup at York on Saturday.The four-year-old needs three horses above him in the handicap to come out at the 48-hour final declaration stage to snatch a place in the £150,000 contest.However, Muir has taken the precaution of also giving Sweet Lightning an entry in the Euro Earthworks Handicap at Ascot the same day."He's in at Ascot just in case we get balloted out at York. He'll go to York if he gets in," said the Hungerford trainer."He's in good form and we've wanted to go for a big handicap, so hopefully he'll get the chance at York. We wanted to wait for a race that's got good prize money behind it."Sweet Lightning has been restricted to two runs this year, a second on the all-weather at Kempton in March and an unlucky-in-running sixth in the City And Suburban Handicap at Epsom in April."If he'd have a got a run at Epsom I think he'd have won. He would definitely have been second to Duncan," added Muir."We were going for another race at Epsom, but he got a corn in his foot. He's over that now, it's onwards and upwards and we're looking forward to it."