EVEN at this midway stage of the National Hunt season only serious injury can realistically prevent champion Tony McCoy from retaining the jump jockeys' title.

McCoy has built a huge lead (131-88) over his nearest pursuer, Timmy Murphy, an advantage he seeks to extend aboard Honey's Gift (2.40) in today's Mares' Only Handicap Hurdle at Fontwell.

Honey's Gift is not much better than a selling plater, but she ran really well when third to de Blanc at Ludlow, a result which has since been made to look even better when the latter won doing cartwheels at Chepstow last week.

In the following Amateur Riders Handicap Chase, backers of Barnard Green (3.10) should get a decent run of money if only because the six-year-old generally puts in a clear round, which does not apply to his seven rivals, most whom are less than sure-footed.

Robert Alner's raider was well and truly clobbered for a runaway triumph at Taunton in November, but thankfully the Official Handicapper has relented and dropped him a few pounds in the weights, setting up the possibility of supplementing his earlier success.

There is plenty of cash to be made by siding with in-form sprinters, a fact that identifies Currency (2.20) as the potential winner of the £5,000 Flavin, Bradstock & RBS Handicap at Lingfield.

Milton Bradley's representative has kicked sand in the faces of the opposition on his most recent couple of outings, latterly squeezing through a gap on the inside rail at Wolverhampton to score in convincing style.

Being drawn on the wide outside, Currency's rider, Jimmy Quinn, will not be able to go the shortest way round this time. But I still believe the speedy gelding could have the measure of his fellow speedsters while in such prime fettle.

John Best sets followers of his Maidstone-based stable a teaser by fielding Kingsgate Bay (1.20) and King After in the Flavin Brothers Nursery.

Although both won on their most recent outings, Kingsgate Bay gets the nod in view of his sheer versatility as he appears to be equally effective whether held up, or making the running.

Southwell's fibre-sand has come in for some pretty fierce criticism of late, with some observers expressing the opinion that the surface is riding too "deep".

When this happens the emphasis on stamina is even more vital, a factor which will help Millkom Elegance (3.00) in the Archer Electrical Ltd Banded Stakes.

Millkom Elegance, a winner over hurdles at Sedgefield when trained by Kevin Ryan, is now in the care of West Country handler, Gerald Ham. Initially Ham struggled to get the best out of the selection, but just as it looked as if all was lost, the five-year-old bucked up his ideas with a staying-on third placing at Wolverhampton.

l Kieren Fallon notched his 200th winner of the year aboard Mistral Sky in division two of the betdirect.co.uk Handicap at Wolverhampton yesterday. It is the fifth time the six-times champion has reached the double century.

Despite riding more domestic winners than any other jockey in 2004, Fallon relinquished his title to Frankie Dettori.

Fallon had 15 winners fewer than the Italian (192-177) during the turf season that ended at Doncaster in November