GRAND National winning jockey Graham Lee has a great chance of mopping up the opening couple of races at Newcastle via Cotty's Rock (12.20) and Supreme Developer (12.50).

Cotty's Rock is sure to be a popular choice to get Graham off to a flying start by following up his recent runaway Sedgefield success in the first on the card, the 2-mile EBF Novices Hurdle.

Trained by Howard Johnson, who supplies most of Lee's firepower, the selection defied a 29-week absence to beat the hot 7-4 favourite, Wing Commander, after a summer spent at grass.

Having been out of action for so long, there are reasonable grounds to hope that Cotty's Rock will strip a good deal fitter for his Sedgefield saunter, plus the in-form gelding should benefit from the extra three furlongs he has to travel in this £7,500 contest.

Lee's next task will be to steer home Supreme Developer, bidding to go one better having finished runner-up on both his last two outings.

The combination went agonisingly close when touched off by Paddy The Paddy over course and distance 17 days ago, form which equates extremely favourably in the context of the Video Services Beginners Chase.

One-time Pattern class performer, Tomasino (2.50), didn't waste much time making his mark over jumps with a silky-smooth victory at Kelso.

Considering testing underfoot conditions were not particularly to Tomasino's liking at the Scottish venue, the triumph was undoubtedly all the more meritorious.

As Keith Reveley's raider will now be running on a significantly quicker surface, Tomasino's prospects of completing a double are pretty rosy.

Full marks to Wolverhampton for staging the best all-weather sprint of the season to date, with Group standard horses such as Quito and Celtic Mill turning out for the six-furlong Littlewoods Bet Direct Stakes.

The speedy duo have regularly plundered the spoils at the course in the past.

But that was when the winter racing took place on fibre-sand, rather than the far firmer polytrack, which was installed during the autumn.

Of the pair I reckon Quito will be at the greatest disadvantage, leaving the door wide open for Celtic Mill (2.10) to adopt his customary front-running role and make all from stall number two.

I've been patiently waiting for Infidelity (3.40) to be stepped up to a mile-and-a-half, so now that the opportunity has come to side with Alan Bailey's filly, the money will be down for the Sky Active Handicap.

Infidelity has always shaped as if the trip would suit, and with the sublime skills of Joe Fanning in the saddle my fingers are crossed that the diminutive three-year-old can land the nap for the supporters of the column.