WITH 11 seconds and nearly double that number of horses finishing in third spot on the flat this summer Middleham trainer Jedd O'Keeffe has every reason to rue his bad luck over the past few months.

Ironically it was a switch to the jumping arena which brought about a change of fortune for the stable when Beat The Heat won a maiden hurdle at Aintree 17 days ago.

Nothing breeds success like success and having been allotted a reasonably favourable official rating of 112, I believe Beat The Heat (2.00) can follow up in the Dixon Heaney Handicap Hurdle at Kelso this afternoon.

"Beat The Heat came out of the Aintree race very well and is in good order," reported Jedd's wife Andrea, who incidentally is nicely on the road to recovery having cracked her pelvis in a riding accident earlier on in the year.

Impending pensioner status seems no barrier to 20-time National Hunt winner Weaver George, seemingly as an enthusiastic as ever at 13.

Wilf Storey's veteran made Sue Smith's useful chaser Dice Man pull out all of the stops when the pair clashed at Carlisle recently. And a repeat of which would quite probably be good enough form to take the three-miles-and-one-furlong Alphameric Red Onion Handicap Chase.

The closing Langholm Dyeing Handicap Chase represents an even sterner test of stamina since the four contestants have an extra three furlongs to travel.

If the going had been forecast to be soft, Carnacrack would be the proverbial "good thing" having prevailed in a bog at the course just under 12 months ago.

Even on today's much livelier surface, Carnacrack, who has been in great heart throughout the autumn on predominately fast ground, has to be considered a leading contender for the £7,000 event, especially in such a depressingly small line-up.

Silver Charmer (1.50), a well-beaten seventh in a £40,000 race at Ascot in October, actually ran far better than her final placing suggests.

The fact is the filly held every chance until lack of condition told at the second last flight, where she ran out of puff. Silver Charmer, sure to strip far fitter for that encouraging reappearance, now turns out at Newbury, where I anticipate a bold showing in the Lane Fox Handicap Hurdle.

Best bet at Lingfield is Labrett (3.15), denied a trouble-free passage on both of his last two starts, one of which was over course and distance when he was twice hampered in one of the roughest races seen on the polytrack this term.

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