LATE-developing three-year-olds often thrive at this time of year and Winged d'Argent (3.40) fits the bill to perfection for the feature event at Musselburgh, the £40,000 Willie Park Stakes.

Mark Johnston's representative failed to make the track as a juvenile.

But this is not always a bad thing as it gives a horse more time to develop, which is certainly true in the case of Winged d'Argent, who is a sturdy round-barrelled individual.

The fact that he's won three of his four starts to date, including when routing a decent line-up by eight lengths at Doncaster 12 days ago, emphatically confirms the hugely-progressive nature of his form.

Admittedly Winged d'Argent now takes a leap into the unknown since he's being asked to step out of handicap grade and take his chance in listed company, but all the available signals suggest he's well up to the task.

Malton-based Noel Wilson has gone through something of a lean spell of late.

But that could be about to end if Stallone (3.05) comes good in the totepool Handicap over a mile-and-a-half.

Although Stallone has bits and pieces of useful form to his name this season, he seemed to totally lose the plot in August and September, resulting in an expensive losing run for his followers.

Quite what went wrong is a mystery and I was starting to lose faith in the horse until his latest start at York, where he bounced back to something approaching his best by finishing a close-up third to Scott.

There's no cribbing that encouraging performance, and seeing as the handicapper has also deemed to drop the selection 6lb since March, Stallone looks all set to make a welcome return to the winners' enclosure.

One of Wilson's near neighbours at Malton, Malcolm Jefferson, heads off to the opposite end of the UK with a brace of fancied contenders at Kempton in south London.

First up is Rutledge Red (3.30), who should make his mark in the Countryside Alliance Novices Handicap Chase.

Despite Fergus King's mount needing his first couple of outings this term, he still ran respectably when fourth to Batoutoftheblue at Market Rasen in early October.

Fitness will be the key to prospects of Jefferson's other raider, The Manse Brae (4.00), an eight-year-old required to defy a mammoth 617-day absence if he is to claim the closing three-mile Handicap Chase.

The Manse Brae seemed to have the world at his feet when winning three from five during his 2002/2003 campaign.

Unfortunately injury then put him on the sidelines, but there's no doubt he's a class act and if anywhere near straight might conceivably be able to give weight all round in the £12,000 race.

Bryan Smart has already given the column one major boost by providing a 25-1 winning nap via Creskeld, and I'm hoping he can do the same with Vademecum (4.40) at Wolverhampton.

After hitting the target as a two-year-old, Vademecum has failed in 2004 and subsequently nose-dived around 20lb down the ratings.

He's never tried the polytrack in his life, but if the gelding does suddenly take a shine to the new surface it may with luck bring about an instant revival in his fortunes.