COLIN WOODS (Janus), our resident horse racing expert, finished an honourable seventh of 55 in the Racing Post competition to decide Britain's top tipster for the 2004 turf Flat season.

His final profit of £11.25 to a £1 level stake for nap selections from March 25 to November 6, meant he finished ahead of 48 other national and provincial racing correspondents, all vying for the prestigious cup and £3,500 first prize

Colin, who won the coveted title for The Northern Echo in 1998, always aims to seek out long-priced winners, and among his biggest successes this year were Creskeld, a 25-1 mid-summer Hamilton bookie-basher, plus 14-1 victor, Strathtay, who skated home at Musselburgh in October.

* The Flat season is now safely tucked away for the winter and jumping fans will be in their element next week as Cheltenham stages its excellent Open meeting.

Three top-class days are in store with the Paddy Power Gold Cup - still the 'Mackeson' to many - on Saturday the highlight. Fondmort landed something of a gamble 12 months ago and will bid for a repeat, although the Martin Pipe-trained Our Vic, who has met with defeat just once over fences, looks set to go off favourite for this year's renewal. Monkerhostin and Farmer Jack are other leading fancies for the £110,000 showpiece. The £60,000 Open Trophy Handicap Chase is the main supporting contest, while the Grade Two Cotswold Juvenile Novices Hurdle will see some promising young performers putting down a marker for season.

Fixtures (Flat in Capitals)

Today: Carlisle, SOUTHWELL, WOLVERHAMPTON

Tomorrow: Huntingdon, Sedgefield, SOUTHWELL

Wednesday: Kelso, LINGFIELD, Newbury

Thursday: Lingfield, Ludlow, Taunton, WOLVERHAMPTON

Friday: Cheltenham (CH4), Newcastle, WOLVERHAMPTON

Saturday: Cheltenham (CH4), LINGFIELD, Uttoxeter, Wetherby (CH4), WOLVERHAMPTON

Sunday: Cheltenham (CH4), Fontwell, Haydock (CH4)

* There was no fairytale return to the saddle for cleared jump jockey Sean Fox at Southwell.

He finished sixth on Vicky Bee in the EBF Mares' Only 'National Hunt' Maiden Hurdle Qualifier.

It was Fox's first ride in public since he was cleared by the Jockey Club's disciplinary panel of charges relating to his controversial unseating from Ice Saint at Fontwell in March.

Fox, whose last ride came in April, had the free-running Vicky Bee tracking the leader Emerald Express on the rails in the early stages.

Vicky Bee, trained by Matt Gingell, who also handles Ice Saint, went to the front a mile from home but was headed on the turn for home and she was already beaten when making a bad mistake at the second-last flight. Emerald Express (12-1) went on to land the spoils by a hard-fought length from Topanberry.

* Moscow Flyer is on target for a mouthwatering clash with Azertyuiop in the Tingle Creek Trophy at Sandown next month after running out a facile winner on his return to action at Navan. Ireland's two-mile chase king jumped superbly on his seasonal debut in the Ballymore Properties Fortria Chase and was left to come home unchallenged.

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