SOME of the fastest horses in the world are being lined up to run in the most valuable race ever staged at Haydock Park.

The Stanley Leisure Sprint Cup - the six-furlong championship of Europe - is worth £200,000 in prize money this year, a rise of 33%.

And the big money is attracting the very best horses for the race on Saturday, September 7.

Irish trainer Aidan O'Brien - who has saddled the last two winners of The Derby at Epsom - has no fewer than 12 horses among the 51 entries.

Among them is this year's England and Irish 2000 Guineas winner Rock of Gibraltar - owned by the Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson.

Also entered is Johannesburg, the world's best two-year-old colt last season and the winner of the Breeders' Cup Juvenile in New York in the autumn.

The first three finishers in this year's July Cup at Newmarket are set to renew their rivalry, namely Continent, Bahamian Pirate and Danehurst.

The entries also include the first three home in Royal Ascot's Jubilee Stakes, as well as every horse that has been placed in an English Group One sprint this year.

An intriguing entry - and one that shows that Haydock has a global attraction - is Air Thule from Japan.

The oldest horse in the race is ten-year-old Tedburrow, who is trained near Preston by Eric Alston.

Haydock Park's general manager Adam Waterworth: "The quality of entries for this year's Stanley Leisure Sprint Cup is simply breath taking.

"The very best sprinters are all there. We're absolutely delighted, and it justifies the decision we took earlier this year to increase substantially the prize money for our most prestigious flat race."

Before Stanley Leisure Sprint Cup day Haydock stages a three-day meeting between Thursday and Saturday, August 8-10.

More information is available on the course web site www.haydock-park.com