In an era when National Hunt racing is struggling to maintain its' status quo, Wetherby's £75,000 Charlie Hall Chase has happily bucked the trend by producing one of the best fields of staying chasers ever assembled at the course.

Twelve months ago Grey Abbey took the money, but that was a classic case of a lily on top of a dung heap since not one of the five horses he beat that day subsequently managed a single win throughout the 2004/2005 season.

Grey Abbey went on to score at Cheltenham and Aintree, thus become the highest-rated British chaser of the campaign, a real feather in the cap of Howard Johnson who reports his charge "in good form" following a racecourse gallop at Newcastle.

Although the gallant Crook-based 11-year-old seems sure to once again be involved in the shake-up, Graham Lee's mount could be vulnerable to a younger rival such as the Nigel Twiston-Davies-trained representative, Ollie Magern (3.25).

Ollie Magern won five from nine starts last season, including a pulsating four-length course and distance victory over King Harald, who went on to frank the form by scoring at the Cheltenham Festival in March.

At only seven years of age the selection, currently best priced at 25's for the 2006 Gold Cup, possesses the most scope for improvement and in my book rates one of the most exciting young chasers currently strutting his stuff on UK soil.

Another of the Johnson team, Inglis Drever (2.50), also went up the A1 in the box to Newcastle, plus for good measure has been taken to the beach in order to brush up his fitness.

Inglis Drever, famous for lowering the mighty Baracouda's colours in the Cheltenham Festival World Hurdle on his way to the "Order of Merit" hurdling crown, sets out on the road to retain his title in the West Yorkshire Hurdle.

The £40,000 three-mile-one-furlong has also attracted last year's winner, Telemoss, together with a clutch of other top-class talent from up and down the land, making the task of Inglis Drever nothing short of daunting.

Other highlights on the card include the participation of Haute de Gamme (5.10), fancied to take advantage of his lenient rating in the Leeds Rugby Day Handicap Hurdle.

Ferdy Murphy's star' finished a fabulous second of 30 to Cregg House in the Topham Trophy at the Grand National Meeting in April. Admittedly that event was steeplechase, nonetheless Haut de Gamme ran off a rating of 132, a monster 12lbs higher than today's mark of 120 for the two-and-half-miler over the smaller obstacles.

It's impossible to argue anything other than the fact that Murphy's gelding remains chucked in at the weights, and provided he's somewhere near peak condition should prove a very hard horse to beat.

No relation to Ferdy, although equally well known in the jumps' arena is Timmy Murphy, who heads for Lingfield to partner among others, Cobbet (2.45).

Cobbet ran creditably on his Huntingdon reappearance a fortnight ago, travelling like a Rolls Royce until he belted the final fence, a misjudgement that totally knocked the stuffing out of the nine-year-old.

Tom George's raider is going to be a whole lot straighter for the outing, which combined with the presence of Timmy in the saddle makes Cobbet a knocking each-way wager at decent odds for the £18,000 Listed two-mile Handicap.

The return of Wolverhampton's evening fixtures is always welcome, however with the Breeders Cup taking place simultaneously at Belmont Park in New York the heavyweight Flat action is across the Atlantic.

The main European hopes in the big apple rest on the shoulders of Ed Dunlop's Ouija Board (7.35), trying to repeat her stunning success in last year's Grade 1 Filly & Mare Turf Stakes.

All the vibes from the other side of the pond have been highly positive concerning Ouija Board, seemingly bang in line for yet another bumper pay day, this time to the tune of a jaw-dropping £287,083.

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