NICKY HENDERSON'S marvellous record at Ascot appears all set to continue courtesy of Tiutchev, bidding to repeat his victory of 12 months ago in the Ritz Club Chase.

Henderson's horses invariably peak at this stage of the season - an ominous sign for his opponents as next month's Cheltenham Festival fast approaches.

Tiutchev, successful in the "Arkle" at Cheltenham two years ago, has been found an ideal chance to add more silverware to an already packed trophy cabinet.

The ultra-useful gelding warmed up for today's Grade one contest with a sparkling win at Sandown this month. In fact, it wasn't so much a horse race as a massacre, with Tiutchev simply toying with the field until Mick FitzGerald let out an inch of rein to sprint clear after the second last fence.

Mark Pitman's stable has been unusually quiet this season and with time beginning to run out he'll be hoping Smarty (4.20) can put some shine on an otherwise disappointing campaign by going one better in the Grand National.

Pitman's charge, who chased home Red Marauder at Aintree in 2001, takes another vital step towards his preparation for Liverpool by contesting the three-mile Ascot United Novices' Hurdle.

Smarty is well used to switching between hurdles and fences, a tactical ploy that seems to keep him "sweet", having been partial to tossing in the odd stinker over the bigger obstacles in the past.

Not many 7lb claiming jockeys can be trusted to ride a proficient race over fences, but young Aaron Bateman is an exception.

He partners his old mate Saxon Duke (2.45) in the long distance Michael Page International Handicap Chase at Warwick.

Saxon Duke is an enigmatic character occasionally prone to waving the white flag for no apparent reason. The panacea for this sort of errant behaviour is seemingly to put Bateman aboard, the only person capable of getting a worthwhile tune out of the stop-start eleven-year-old.

At Lingfield I like the look of Gascon (1.50) in the Edward Hogg Apprentice Handicap.

Drawn out in the car park in stall 14, rider Richard Smith will have no option but to drop his mount in behind the pack and trust to luck that the gaps appear.

Gascon's hasn't got a prayer coming wide, hence his best chance is by being held up for a late surge, preferably bursting through a wall of horses.

Patience is a virtue in the punting game and I'll not be putting my hand in my pocket until Lost Spirit (9.30) lines up for the last at Wolverhampton.

He's a well-handicapped front-runner likely to take some catching provided Joanna Badger puts her pedal to metal as soon as the gates fly open.

* Red Marauder, winner of the 2001 Martell Grand National, pleased his connections in his first serious piece of work of the season yesterday.

New Brancepeth trainer Norman Mason put the 12-year-old through his paces with assistant Richard Guest in the saddle.

Red Marauder has been off the track since his Aintree win ten months ago and plans to run him in a charity flat race at Hereford on March 8 still seem set to go ahead, as long as he comes through the scan he will undergo today. Guest said: ''It went fine, no problems. We'll wait for the scan now. I'm touching as much wood as I can.''

Mason revealed that the horse will not be risked if he is not fully fit and he may consider sending Peter Marsh Chase winner Red Striker to Aintree in his place.