SPECTATORS at Newcastle's Flat fixture thankfully won't miss any of the action from Aintree, courtesy of a giant screen hired by the executive to keep race-goers in touch with all the thrills-and-spills of the Grand National.

The £20,000 Bet365 Handicap is comfortably the most valuable race on the Tyneside card, a seven-furlong contest presenting Nero's Return (3.15) with a golden opportunity to follow-up his recent comeback success at Pontefract.

After being unbeaten in two starts as a juvenile, Mark Johnston's representative drew an ignominious blank last year when his form went from bad to worse as the season progressed.

Clearly something must have been ailing Nero's Return throughout 2004, because he looked like a totally different horse when making his winning return 11 days ago.

Although the rejuvenated four-year-old only just scraped home on that occasion, he was actually quite badly hampered at the two-furlong pole, which meant Joe Fanning had to switch out of trouble and subsequently delay his challenge until the final 50 yards.

Johnston's fellow Middleham trainer, Michael Hammond, could also make his presence felt if Tidy (2.10) puts his best foot forward.

Hammond cleverly gave his gelding a pipe-opener on the all-weather track at Wolverhampton in March, an event in which Tidy made eye-catching late headway to finish fourth.

The selection will have come on in leaps and bounds fitness-wise for that outing, an encouraging boost to Tidy's form profile, which includes a fast-time, heavy-ground course victory at about this time last year.

Finally, good luck to Aintree-bound Inglis Drever (3.20) in his bid to clinch the BHB Order of Merit prize of £200,000, plus £50,000 for being the top hurdler in the current National Hunt campaign.

North-East-based owners, Graham and Andrea Wylie have pumped millions of pounds into the sport over the past three years, so it would be fitting if their best horse, recent Cheltenham Festival winner Inglis Drever, could help them get a little bit back.

Inglis Drever will be stepping back in trip to two-and-a-half miles after winning the Ladbrokes World Hurdle at Cheltenham on his last start and owner Graham Wylie reports the horse to be in good heart.

''Howard is very happy with him and he is in the same sort of form he was in before Cheltenham,'' he said.

''I'm now just hoping that we get a bit of luck in running.

''Given the season that the Drever has had, he owes us nothing and I just hope he picks up enough points to secure the Order Of Merit for the stable staff.

''He's quite versatile with regard to the ground and trip but, to be honest, this two-and-a-half-miler has been the plan for him all season - he only went to Cheltenham as Royal Rosa was injured.''

Colm Murphy is optimistic that the trip will suit his stable star Brave Inca.

The seven-year-old has yet to get his head in front from five races outside novice company but he has performed with credit on each occasion, including when third in the Smurfit Champion Hurdle.

He was two heads behind Hardy Eustace and Harchibald that day and Murphy reports him to have pleased since. Brave Inca has done most of his racing over the minimum distance but won over the trip in handicap company last term. Murphy is not worried, either, about this being his first visit to Liverpool.

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