TONY McCOY paid a rare visit to Sedgefield yesterday, but it proved to be in vain because his sole mount on the card, Red Flyer, failed to justify 13/8 favouritism when trailing in third to Sue Smith's Pebble Way.

"He got bogged down in the heavy ground, on better ground he'll be much more effective," said McCoy to Patrick Haslam's assistant trainer, Carol Williams, following the John Wade Skip Hire Selling Handicap Hurdle.

Looking forward to Saturday's fixtures, both Doncaster and Cheltenham stage big-money meetings, McCoy has yet to make up his mind where to go. "J P McManus has a decent hurdler with James Fanshawe called Reveillez, and wherever he goes, I may go," he said.

It's been a frustrating few weeks for McCoy, who famously parted company with the 14-time jumps champion trainer, Martin Pipe, at the end of last season, having accepted a lucrative offer to partner all of the McManus-owned horses in this country.

Although the majority of multimillionaire "JP's" massive string are based with Jonjo O'Neill at Jackdaws Castle in Gloucestershire, unfortunately for McCoy none have been seen out since O'Neill shut up shop due to a virus that brought the yard to its' knees over the Christmas period.

"It seems like we're going to be quiet for a while yet, but hopefully Jonjo's horses will be back in time for the Cheltenham Festival in March," added the reigning champion jockey.

Tony's fellow Irish rider, Brian Harding, was in no mood to be beaten for the opening Maiden Chase, booting Leyland Comet to an easy victory in the marathon three-mile-three-furlong contest.

"Leyland Comet is big and slow, none the less this long distance race suited him and with more experience he could develop into a candidate for the Eider at Newcastle in a couple of years time," said triumphant West Witton handler, Ferdy Murphy.

And the luck of the Irish held firm in the Ramside Catering Handicap Hurdle when the appropriately named, Risetotheoccassion, landed the spoils in the hands of leading northern pilot, Tony Dobbin.

Risetotheoccasion had been struggling to get a run in his native land, so trainer, Colin McBratney from County Down, opted to take the ferry and bring the nine-year-old Glacial Storm gelding in search of success over here.

"We couldn't get in at Fairyhouse, therefore we decided to give Sedgefield a spin instead. He's not been doing well over fences, and thought trying him back over hurdles might just sweeten him up," beamed McBratney.

Malcolm Jefferson was also all smiles after Polar Gunner, made every yard of the running to claim the John Smith's Extra Smooth Handicap Chase.

The incessant rain had by this time turned the course into a quagmire, not that it worried Polar Gunner, who jumped like a cat to win the two-mile event. "He's by Gunner B and they all love the mud," said Jefferson.

* Ferdy Murphy has expressed his delight with Your A Gassman's racing weight for the Sky Bet Chase at Doncaster on Saturday as the ante-post favourite shortened at the head of the market.

A smart hurdler, the seven-year-old is now as short as 4-1 with William Hill for this weekend's contest, in which he is set to carry 11st 1lb. ''He has got a nice racing weight and, if Ad Hoc stays in at the top of the handicap, it will be ideal for us,'' said Murphy.

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