FRENCHMAN'S CREEK represents fantastic each-way value at around 14-1 for this afternoon's eagerly anticipated Hennessy Gold Cup.

Following a long spell on the sidelines, Hughie Morrison's former Cheltenham Festival winner took his first positive step on the comeback trail when third to Best Mate and Seebald at Exeter eight days ago.

All things considered, Frenchman's Creek put up a quite outstanding performance to get within 16 lengths of the triple Gold Cup hero, Best Mate, in that high-profile west-country clash.

The majority of pundits expected the selection to be wrapped up in cotton wool for a few weeks while he recovered from his exertions, but Morrision has no qualms about sending his charge straight back into the lion's den for today's Newbury showpiece.

"Frenchman's Creek seems fine and I was very pleased with the way he ran. He's got a good racing weight and if in the mood will run very well," said an upbeat Morrison.

The ante-post market for the famous three-mile-and-two-furlong contest has been dominated by one horse, Celestial Gold, so impressive when plundering the Paddy Power Gold Cup at Prestbury Park last time out.

Martin Pipe always has to be feared wherever he takes his team, but at 5-2 Celestial Gold is a ludicrously short price in such a competitive heat, a remark which also applies to the North-East's raider, 7-1 shot Lord Transcend.

Lord Transcend has always been the apple of Howard Johnson's eye, but the bold-jumping grey, a facile winner of his sole race to date over fences at Ayr, might lack the experience required to take on the crme de la crme of the staying handicap chasers.

Now that Thiery Doumen has hung up his boots, his father has had to find another rider for his all-conquering stable-star, Baracouda (2.50).

Surprise, surprise, Doumen senior opted for Tony McCoy, who will surely enjoy the luxury of being able to sit as quiet as a church mouse in the Ballymore Long Distance Hurdle, a £40,000 race which Baracouda won with ease in 2003.

And there's another boring cakewalk likely to take place in the earlier Fulke Walwyn Novices Chase, for which recent runaway Cheltenham winner Fundamentalist (12.55) only has to stand up to account for his two rivals.

The added prize fund for the race totals £35,000, money that could be better spent in other areas of the sport, a popular school of thought held throughout the industry, barring the BHB race-planning department.

After running like a donkey when carrying the nap and a substantial charity bet at Wetherby on Wednesday, Ferdy Murphy has wasted no time in trying again with Historg (1.40) for the Alison Mahoney Handicap Chase at Towcester.

Having placed the £100 bet, I was bitterly disappointed not to earn St Teresa's Hospice some well-deserved extra funds courtesy of Ladbrokes, but it was not to be as Historg dropped out of contention four fences from home.

I am certainly prepared to give Ferdy Murphy's Grand National hope another chance, and promise to have a tenner on the horse and donate the winnings to the charity if Historg can make good for his mid-week failure.

Waiting tactics rule the roost at Lingfield these days, therefore an each-way wager on hold-up specialist Weecando (3.10) is recommended in the most valuable contest on the card, the £10,000 Littlewoods Bet Direct Handicap.

Given the benefit of a trouble-free passage, Conrad Allen's mare would have won doing cartwheels at Wolverhampton a fortnight ago. Sadly, she failed to thread her way through the pack with sufficient speed to nail Lake Diva in a battle royal to the line. Let's hope for a little more fortune during the course of the mile-and-a-quarter affair, because if Weecando does get her own way I'm confident of a bold show from the useful six-year-old.

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