SEDGEFIELD is the place to be this afternoon if you want to help with an extremely worthy cause in aid of the Hartlepool Hospice Appeal.

A special raceday has been organised by the course executive to assist in raising funds towards the £2,500,000 required to build a new hospice at Hartlepool and racegoers will be asked to make a contribution as they leave the meeting.

The feature event on the seven-race card, the £6,000 John Alderson Memorial Handicap Chase, has attracted a small but select field including the much-improved Artictaldi (3.25).

Brian Ellison's bold-jumping eleven-year-old has never won over today's trip of two-miles-and-five-furlongs, however he's scored at the course before, and simply does not know how to run a bad race.

Regional restaurant owners, Joe Rigatonis, are supporting the Claiming Hurdle, which includes the interesting debutant, Kuwait Rose (2.15).

Formerly with Kevin Ryan, he landed a nine-furlong seller on the level at Hamilton last month. Sure to have been well schooled by new handler Ferdy Murphy, he could take some beating if taking to hurdling on his first attempt.

Former trainer John Hellens puts his name to the Novices' Chase at 2.50, a race in which Kate Milligan's Piccadilly might be worth an each-way punt.

The eight-year-old mare was still in contention when missing out the tenth fence at Market Rasen on her fencing bow in September. Ironically, have fired Dean Gallagher out of the saddle, Piccadilly then proceeded to record a foot perfect round, jumping each obstacle with slavish accuracy.

Cleveland-based bookmakers John Joyce also chip in with prize money for the opening Novices' Hurdle at 1.45.

Redworth handler Don Forster has engaged top-flight Irish jockey Norman Williamson to ride Keiran (1.45) in the contest.

The eye-catching booking constitutes more than enough of a hint for me especially as the selection chased home the useful Colourful Life at Wetherby in May.

The really big bucks are to be made at Newmarket where there's £150,000 up for grabs in the Group 1 Shadwell Stud Cheveley Park Stakes.

Most of the leading juvenile fillies take their respective places, although if the erstwhile unbeaten Queen's Logic (2.05) holds her nerve, I think the rest will be playing catch-up come the final furlong.

Mick Channon's stable-star followed a Newbury maiden success with victory at Royal Ascot in the Queen Mary, followed by a blistering win in the Group 2 Lowther Stakes at York's Ebor Meeting.

Half an hour earlier a quite staggering total of £400,000 makes up the stakes for the Tattersalls Houghton Sales race.

The form of Landseer's shock 20-1 win in the Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot has since not surprisingly proved to be rock solid and it therefore appears all-conquering Irish trainer Aidan O'Brien is poised to take yet another big pot away from these shores.

But if the forecast rain arrives at Headquarters, it might be worth chancing the potentially classy Sir George Turner (1.35), guaranteed to stay every inch of the trip however testing the conditions end up to be.