GRAND National hero Red Marauder won't make a repeat bid this year. He had his first piece of serious work, a good gallop, last Friday, but Norman Mason's stable star had some heat in his leg next day and will be rested.

The Brancepeth permit holder has strength in depth though and Marauder's full brother Red Striker, winner of the Peter Marsh at Haydock last month, could prove an able substitute in the Aintree marathon.

Red Ark, by the same sire, Gunner B, put in a good display of jumping under Richard Guest at Sandown last Friday and left Mason with a Cheltenham Festival dilemma. This winner may go for the Queen Mother Champion Chase or for the Grand Annual.

Ferdy Murphy took a Fakenham double the same day with Be Upstanding and Lord Khalice. The two wins brought up Adrian Maguire's 50 for the season. At Sedgefield, the disqualification of Harlov gave the West Witton team another win with Fornaught Alliance.

In the Tote Eider at Newcastle on Saturday, Murphy's winner of last year Narrow Water fell and Tim Easterby's Scotton Green unseated Russ Garritty, who had replaced Tony Dobbin when the weights went up. Dobbin was then free to partner the Irish raider This Is Serious, which won the race, while Maguire on Ackzo stayed on to be third despite being badly hampered.

Mary Reveley's Sad Mad Bad also fell, but she took a double on the card with Colourful Life and A Piece Of Cake, with Ryalux and Noshinannikin of our 12 to follow third and fourth respectively behind him.

Tim Easterby's consolation was to land the opener with King's Bounty. Mick Easterby won with Super Nomad and permit holder John Wade with Devil's Run.

Tomorrow, Maguire has chosen to partner Streamstown in the De Vere Gold Cup Chase at Haydock. Ferdy Murphy also has Hindiana (another of our 12) entered, with Dean Gallagher chosen to ride, but a decision to race was to be taken today. Our head says Streamstown, our heart Hindiana - perhaps a forecast is too much to hope for?

This leaves Murphy's two in the Racing Post Trophy to consider - Occold and Luzcadou. The former returned to form at Towcester last month and has won at Kempton, so looks the better bet. Jockeys were not named as we went to press as JP McNamara is set to go to Musselburgh. Also entered in the big Kempton race is Norman Mason's Red Striker - if all go, this is one for us to savour.

Patrick Haslam has taken 22 all-weather wins so far this year, a Southwell double with Just The Job Too and Pride Of The Park showing his continued good form. One behind him is David Barron, who also had a brace at the same venue with Mallia and Massey.

David Chapman's own Paddywack won at Wolverhampton, where Mark Johnston won with Benny The Vice to add to his Saturday Lingfield win with Takes Tutu.

Mark Buckley has shown recent form and won with Effervesce at Southwell's Tuesday meeting. David Nicholls has been quiet but took a second win for the year when Fire Up The Band won a Lingfield maiden on Wednesday. Lynda Ramsden had a Wolverhampton maiden win from Sharpsport.

THE WEEK'S WINNERS

Key: All racing is now National Hunt (jumping) except for Flat racing on all-weather surfaces (AW); * = evening meeting; f = furlong (8f = 1 mile); chs = steeplechase; hdl = hurdle; NHf = National Hunt flat race (bumper); mdn = maiden; nov = novice; juv = juvenile; clmr = claiming race (entries can be claimed by sealed bid tenders); sllr = selling race (winner auctioned after race, other runners can be claimed); hcp = handicap; amtr = amateur riders; cond = conditional (jumps apprentice) riders; Hb = homebred by owner (or one of the owners).

Thursday last week. - Southwell AW: (8f hcp) Just The Job Too (trained by Patrick Haslam, at Middleham; owned by A Stancliffe & J Trevillion), ridden by Paul Mulrennan; (6f clmr) Mallia (David Barron, Maunby; H T Duddin), Keith Dalgleish; (11f hcp) Pride Of The Park (P Haslam; Middleham Park Racing III), Lee Enstone; (7f hcp) Massey (D Barron; J Edward Boynton), Dean McKeown; (7f sllr) Platinum Duke (Kevin Ryan, Hambleton; Platinum Racing Club Ltd), Fergal Lynch.

Friday. - Sandown: (hcp chs) Red Ark (Norman Mason, Brancepeth; Mrs D B Mason), Richard Guest.

Fakenham: (NH nov hdl) Be Upstanding (Ferdy Murphy, West Witton; M Holmes), Adrian Maguire; (hcp chs) Lord Khalice (F Murphy; Exors of the late G A Hubbard), A Maguire.

Wolverhampton AW: (7f mdn) Sharpsport (Lynda Ramsden, Sandhutton; A J Ramsden), Matthew Henry.

Saturday. - Newcastle: (nov hdl) King's Bounty (Tim Easterby, Great Habton; C H Stevens), Russ Garritty; (nov chs) Super Nomad (Mick Easterby, Sheriff Hutton; T A Hughes & B Hutchinson), Richard McGrath; (nov hcp hdl) Colourful Life (Mary Reveley, Lingdale; Andy Peake & David Jackson), Alan Dempsey; (hcp chs) A Piece Of Cake (M Reveley; Lightbody Celebration Cakes Ltd), A Dempsey; (hcp hdl) Devil's Run (John Wade, Mordon; permit holder), Patrick Aspell.

Warwick: (hcp hdl) dead heat inc Fiori (P Haslam; Wilson Imports I), Tom Doyle.

Lingfield AW: (7f) Takes Tutu (Mark Johnston, Middleham; C M, B J & R F Batterham II), K Dalgleish.

Monday. - Wolverhampton AW: (5f hcp) Paddywack (David Chapman, Stillington; trainer), Tony Culhane; (12f mdn) Benny The Vice (M Johnston; E Grayson), Joe Fanning.

Tuesday. - Sedgefield: (hcp hdl) Through The Rye (Edwin Tuer, Great Smeaton; Grant Tuer), Graham Lee; (hcp hdl) Fornaught Alliance (promoted after 1st disqualified) (F Murphy; R & G Leonard), A Maguire; (nov hdl) Shalbeblue (Brian Ellison, Norton; Four Clubs), Vinnie Keane.

Southwell AW: (6f fillies hcp) Effervesce (Mark Buckley, Upper Helmsley; C C Buckley), Tony Culhane.

Wednesday. - Doncaster: (nov chs) The Granby (M Reveley; Revival Racing Ltd), R Guest.

Lingfield AW: (7f mdn) Fire Up The Band (David Nicholls, Sessay; P Crane, A Barker & S Short), Ollie Pears