FAST ground has been a scarce commodity this winter, but it's all change at Musselburgh today where underfoot conditions are predicted to be good to firm.

Most National Hunt horses need some juice in the turf to show their best form, but there's always the exception to the rule, Broadgate Flyer (12.15) being an excellent case in point.

Broadgate Flyer loves to hear his hooves rattle and it's therefore quite right that we excuse his recent flop at Catterick, where the normally reliable chaser finished out with the washing after the course was hit by heavy rain.

No such problems on the east coast of Scotland, which happily appears to have missed most of the weekend wet stuff, so answering the prayers of Broadgate Flyer's backers in the opening two-mile Yuletide Amateur Riders' Handicap Chase.

Howard Johnson, who announced the immediate retirement of stable-star Direct Route following his dismal effort at Doncaster on Saturday, has several potential replacements waiting in the wings, including Covent Garden (12.45).

Covent Garden, a beautifully bred son of Sadler's Wells, is unbeaten over hurdles this season, having romped to successive victories at Hexham, Carlisle, and Aintree.

Johnson has opted to step up his fast-improving four-year-old to three miles today, a decision that should not hamper Covent Garden's attempt to complete a well-deserved four-timer in the £10,000 Showcase Handicap Hurdle.

In an extraordinary act of largesse, the Official Handicapper appears to have left Southwell raider Efimac (12.35) on the same rating that he won off at the course last time out.

Admittedly it was only a six-furlong claiming race, but the fact that Efimac has avoided a penalty, and looks as if he will improve significantly for the move up to seven furlongs, can only be regarded as a positive sign as far as betting purposes are concerned.

The selection's wide draw in stall 14 for the Bet Direct Nursery is unfortunately not so promising, simply because runners do tend to get plenty of unpleasant kick-back when they have to start from out in the cheap seats.

As luck would have it, Efimac didn't seem to mind the oily-based Fibresand when collecting at the Midlands' venue in November, returning to the winner's enclosure plastered from head to foot in the ghastly stuff.

Perhaps the tolerance of the man-made surface stems from his dam, Efipetite, who has already produced quite a useful all-weather winner. In any event Efimac is awarded the nap vote, expected to go off at odds of at least 12-1.

* Brancepeth permit-holder Norman Mason was in double form at Newcastle yesterday with Red Rampage in the nitex.co.uk Amateur Riders Handicap Chase and Our Armageddon, who stunned odds-on backers when flooring Tees Components in the Nitex Computer Fair Novices' Hurdle.

Red Rampage made all the running, and jumping well for McGrath he stuck to his task in good style from the second last fence to hold off the challenge of Free To Run by 1 lengths.

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