THE race for the Bolton Evening News Naps competition title reaches a climax on Saturday - with plenty of opportunity for somebody to spring a late shock!

Leaders Booth Steel are favourites entering the final furlong, but they will be looking nervously over their shoulders as the final selections are made.

They almost came a cropper last Saturday when long-time leaders Caught Napping, in second place, picked Private Charter in the 1.25 at Newbury, only to see their choice narrowly beaten - at 20-1.

Booth Steel have reached the heady heights on the backs of just four wins at 11-1, 14-1, 25-1 and the 33-1 choice on Week 8 which put them into the Top 10 for the first time. They have never dropped below that consistent level.

Repeated hints in this weekly column have been ignored by the two teams with the most wins - Paul's Piano (11) and Bullies (10).

They have never changed their tactics, choosing short-priced favourites which have left them in the red despite a 33 per cent hit rate.

For Saturday's last chance, Ian Balding's grand campaigner Border Arrow heads the 59 entries for the Tote Scoop6 November Stakes at Doncaster.

The Kingsclere trainer retires after almost 40 years with a licence on Saturday and he has also entered Border Arrow in the CIU Serlby Stakes earlier on the card.

Manton trainer John Gosden, whose father 'Towser' won the November Handicap four times, also has a good record in the mile and a half contest having landed the end-of-season prize in the past with Hieroglyphic (1991), Turgenev (1992) and Sabadilla (1997).

He has entered the promising three-year-old filly Flaming Salsa in this year's renewal.

Bollin Nellie could represent the St Leger winning team of owner Lady Westbrook and trainer Tim Easterby in the November Handicap.

Other interesting entries in the race are recent course and distance winner the Paul Cole-trained Capitano Corelli, Mary Reveley's Newmarket scorer Tees Components and Tom Paddington, who won in great style at Newbury last time on his first start since being injured in a novice hurdle in February 1999.