Before the current jumps season had really got underway last year Martin Pipe reportedly said he was unsure whether he had the quality in his team to enable him to regain the trainers' title.

But with over 200 winners already on the board and more than £1m in win and place prize-money in his kitty, his lead at the head of the table looks unassailable.

The Cheltenham Festival will no doubt swell the coffers even further, but his Mark Equal can get this tremendous week off to a good start by taking the H&K Commissions Handicap Hurdle at Stratford this afternoon.

The lightly-raced six-year-old goes straight into handcap company after winning on his hurdles debut at Taunton in January.

That form looks decent as the runner-up and fourth- placed horses have gone on to win races, while the third- placed animal had won his previous outing.

Pipe's gelding is open to plenty of improvement and he travelled well enough to suggest that he should be equally as effective over this shorter trip. He's taken to beat Henry Daly's Hand Inn Hand.

Daly's Wandering Light would have good claims on his best form in the Tote Credit Club Showcase Handicap Chase over three miles but preference is for Norman Mason's Emperor's Magic.

The 11-year-old has the advantage over most of these rivals as he comes into this race in good form, he's effective over this trip and the ground will be no problem.

He looked fortunate to win at Market Rasen last time and the penalty there means he'll have to improve again, but anything is possible from this stable at present and he's sure to go close.

Mason and jockey Richard Guest can also be on the mark with Gypsy, who takes a marked drop in class in the Foxhunter At Snitterfield Selling Hurdle over two miles and three furlongs.

If his latest effort at Doncaster when well beaten can be overlooked he looks to hold major claims on his third placing to Colourful Life in handicap company at Newcastle last month.

There aren't many better jump jockeys around at the moment than Ruby Walsh and the Irishman's booking for Coy Lad catches the eye in the closing bumper at 5.20.

Jimmy Fitzgerald's runner showed enough on his debut at Newbury a month ago to suggest he could figure in a race of this nature and he's open to plenty of improvement.

At Taunton Pipe's Jenko looks an interesting runner in the Last Orders Novices Handicap Hurdle over two miles and one furlong.

The lightly-raced five-year-old, a winner in France in 2000, hasn't shown much to date in three runs over hurdles but he's just the type his trainer excels with and it could be significant that he has his tongue tied down for the first time.

l Richard Johnson notched a century of winners for the season after Redde proved good enough to take the Letheby & Christopher Handicap Hurdle at Chepstow.

The Jack Smith-trained gelding came to his rescue by beating El Monty by three-quarters of a length.

A relieved Johnson, who spent three months sidelined with a broken leg this winter, said: ''I've got there at last! It's been a couple of days coming and it's also been a bit of a stop-start year for me with the broken leg."

Johnson went on to make it 101 when Karratha won the the Gwent Drain Services Handicap Hurdle.