STICK with Stan's Your Man (2.50) for big-race glory in the Thomas Pink Gold Cup at Cheltenham this afternoon.

Stan's Your Man landed Wednesday's winning nap selection at Kelso with embarrassing ease and successful trainer Ferdy Murphy is confident of another bold showing.

"He didn't take anything out of himself at Kelso and his legs were like ice the morning after the race," said Ferdy, whose powerful West Witton yard has begun to unleash a smattering of its major firepower over the past couple of weeks.

At eleven years of age, some would argue Stan's Your Man is getting rather long in the tooth to be taking on 13 classy rivals, the majority of whom are significantly younger.

But for one approaching pensioner status the northern raider has relatively few miles on the clock. He's also unbeaten in his last four races, jumps like a buck and has a high cruising speed.

All of these qualities will be needed in spades to overcome the massive, and I mean massive, sustained ante-post gamble on the favourite, Shooting Light.

Switched from Pat Murphy (no relation to Ferdy) to Martin Pipe during the summer, Shooting Light warmed up for today's £100,000 showpiece with an awesome display over track and trip last month.

It was more like a massacre than a horse race and prompted a flood of money for Tony McCoy's mount. However, favourites are there to be shot down and, hopefully, Stan will indeed be our Man!

In the preceding £40,000 Tote Bookmakers Handicap Hurdle, Murphy's fast-improving Wemyss Quest (2.15) could spark a monster pay-day for the stable by claiming the valuable three-mile contest.

Wemyss Quest stands on the brink of a four-timer and was particularly slick when bolting home over course and distance 18 days ago.

At Wetherby, there's no denying Mary Reveley's treble prospects with Colourful Life (1.40), Cruz Santa (2.40) and Random Harvest (3.15) all strongly fancied in their respective events.

Barring accidents it should be little more than a school round for Colourful Life, while Cruz Santa has little to beat in the selling hurdle.

Random Harvest is somewhat less predictable, nevertheless on a "going" day he's a very useful staying chaser and does appear to reserve his best for the North Yorkshire venue.

I've a feeling Mary's winning afternoon will not stop there, since both Polish Flame (12.55) and The Major (3.00) hold outstanding chances at Ayr.

Despite an absence off 676 days I'm very sweet on Kedge Anchor Man (1.05) at Uttoxeter.

Nick Gaselee's gelding has been plagued by injury over the past few seasons. Connections have sensibly persisted with Kedge Anchor Man simply because on past form he could well wipe the floor with his rivals in the Houghton Novices' Handicap Hurdle.

Wolverhampton stages a marathon ten-race meeting for die-hard sand fans.

My best news concerns So Royal (5.40), a beautifully-bred daughter of Royal Academy.

She's not really grown fully into her immense frame, although should still have the strength to repel all comers in the Phantom Of The Opera Maiden Stakes.

* Joe Tizzard took a bit of fatherly advice on board before riding Lucky Clover to success in the £30,000 Sporting Index Chase, the feature event on the first day of Cheltenham's Open meeting yesterday.

The 10-1 shot made virtually all the running over the unique cross-country track, which features 32 varying obstacles over a course of nearly four miles.

It was a feat in itself for rider and horse to make virtually every yard in a marathon contest but to do it on a track whose idiosyncratic layout has caught out other jockeys in the past magnified the achievement.

Lucky Clover was headed briefly at the final fence by favourite Galapiat du Mesnil but rallied on the run-in to get back up in the final strides.

There were family celebrations in the winner's enclosure as Lucky Clover is trained by Tizzard's father, Colin.

''I told him to treat the race like the speed section of a hunter trial,'' said Tizzard snr.

''I said 'Cut the corners, use his speed and keep asking him for more'. For once, he has listened to his father!''

The victory for Tizzard jnr was no doubt sweetened by the fact that Timmy Murphy, the man who replaced him as stable jockey for Paul Nicholls, was aboard the runner-up.

It was not a day to be backing favourites at Cheltenham as Fireball Macnamara sprang a 33-1 surprise in the Gerrard Novices' Hurdle.

Approaching the second-last flight, six of the seven runners were tightly packed and the race looked wide-open. But it was Murphy's mount who found the best turn of foot to hold the late thrust of Midland Flame by a length