ROOKIE trainer Andrew Balding, who made such a scintillating start to his career on the flat earlier this year, is now turning some of his big guns to the jumping arena.

Balding first hit the headlines in June by sending out Casual Look to capture the Epsom Oaks, but just like his father, Ian, he also enjoys a sortie into the world of National Hunt racing whenever possible.

And to this end Balding despatches Distant Prospect plus Moor Lane to Newbury this afternoon in the hope of emerging with a couple of potential Cheltenham and Aintree Festival contenders.

The 2001 Newmarket Cesarewitch hero Distant Prospect (1.35) could easily find himself heading for Prestbury Park next March provided he continues to progress along the right lines in the Gardener Mechanical Services Maiden Hurdle.

The six-year-old made a most pleasing debut over track and trip last month finishing runner-up to the high-class jumps' recruit Albuhera. In the context of this year's pecking order among the novice hurdlers that represents pretty much the best form on offer, and so long as Distant Prospect puts in a clear round he seems certain to further his Cheltenham ambitions.

Although Moor Lane's (3.10) long-term objective remains the 2004 Aintree Grand National, if on his best behaviour there's no reason why he cannot collect the two-and-three-quarter-mile Burges Salmon Chase en route, especially as the gelding has previously won both over the identical distance and at the course.

In the closing "bumper" race Mary Reveley's three-year-old Into The Shadows (3.40) is worthy of support.

Mary's filly went off at the relatively long odds of 25-1 when she made her debut at the track in November. Into the Red did not however run like a rank outsider, beaten only by a beautifully bred son of Deploy in a huge 23-runner line-up.

On this occasion the Reveley-trained long-distance North-East-based raider only has opponents of the same gender to account for, a factor which makes her task infinitely more simple in the mile-and-a-half affair.

Successful betting is just as much about observing restraint as lumping on, so a word of caution about getting financially involved at Lingfield where there has been a fair bit of controversy recently, centred mainly around the funereal slow early pace set by many of the jockeys.

It is a fact that even some of the sprints are run at little more than a canter for the first couple of furlongs making the form very hard to assess.

As a result investing on the polytrack has become something of a lottery and therefore in future I'll be thinking long and hard before recommending any nap selections at the Surrey venue.