TONY Dobbin's Cheltenham hoodoo might be about to end if, as expected, Monet's Garden (1.30) triumphs in the Relkeel Hurdle.

"I think the world of this horse," said trainer Nicky Richards after Monet's Garden had made a successful re-appearance at Windsor last month.

The normally placid Richards is not the type of guy to get excited without due reason, from which we can safely deduce there is much more to come from his budding stable-star.

As for Dobbin, without a winner at Prestbury Park for 1,005 days despite have 47 bites at the cherry, he's been handed a golden opportunity for a change of luck, because if ever a horse appeared capable of progressing into the big-time, it has to be Monet's Garden.

More potential 2005 Champion Hurdle clues are likely to emerge once the outcome of the Grade 1 Bula Hurdle is settled

Howard Johnson's Inglis Drever bids to prove he's a genuine two-miler, but even if the expensive 111,000 guineas purchase has the speed to score at the trip, the relatively quick ground is definitely not in his favour.

In direct contrast, the former champ, Rooster Booster (3.15), loves to hear his hooves rattle, and when the jocks are shovelling on the coal up the infamous Cheltenham hill, no horse will be trying harder than the tough-as-teak Philip Hobbs-trained grey.

Nicky Henderson rarely leaves Doncaster without a winner or two, a scenario which seems the most likely to be upheld on the Town Moor, where both Copsale Lad (1.10) and Mighty Strong (2.20) are leading candidates.

Copsale Lad showed himself to be a very good hurdler last season and if gallop reports are anything to go by, he promises to make a victorious debut over the bigger obstacles in the Weetside Magazine Beginners Chase.

Mighty Strong, a big powerful individual, has already won at the course in the past and following his victory at Newbury a fortnight ago, he remains in pole position to add to that success in the £15,000 Vulrory's Clown Handicap Chase.

Although a group of Brian Ellison's owners shelled out a small fortune for Carte Diamond, their joint enterprise has already been rewarded with a money-spinning win in the November Handicap, together with an impressive bow over hurdles at Newcastle.

Carte Diamiond now bids to add to his booty with a long-distance smash-and-grab raid on Lingfield, where the Summit Junior Hurdle looks to be at the mercy of the versatile three-year-old.

Followers of the column's nap selections are nicely in profit at present, thanks in no small part to the colourfully-named, Boris The Spider, a 7-1 winner at Southwell.

Not all horses enjoy the demanding fibre-sand at the Nottinghamshire track, but that's not the case with Micky Hammond's three-year-old, who positively relishes the man-made surface.

Of course dishing out a clear-cut five-length drubbing to the opposition doesn't come without its drawbacks, in this instance a whopping 10lb hike in the weights for Boris The Spider to contend with in the Littlewoods Handicap.

Overcoming such a dramatic rise in the ratings is never easy, however Hammond's Middleham-based gelding is a trapping sort, therefore my gut feeling says he'll still have the final say in the mile-and-six-furlong event.

Lynda Ramsden doesn't have too many runners on the all-weather circuit, so her decision to allow Distant Country to take his chance on the sand this winter has to be of interest to serious-minded punters.

Distant Country (8.00) has thus far failed to hit the target at Wolverhampton but there was enough to like about his most recent effort, when finishing runner-up at the track, to suggest he can get his head in front for this evening's Bet Direct Handicap over seven furlongs.

* William Hill TV will show the Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Cup live from Sha Tin tomorrow morning. The ten-furlong race, which features British-trained favourite Rakti, is due off at 9.10am and is one of two races live on channel 425 along with the Hong Kong Mile at 8.30am.