GRAND NATIONAL winning jockey Graham Lee has been entrusted with the ride on Haditovski (2.20), potentially the best bet of the day at Warwick in the Burgis & Bullock Handicap Hurdle.

The Ingleby Barwick-based jockey has been booting in winners all over the country during the past couple of weeks and now is the time to capitalise while his confidence is sky-high.

Haditovski failed to strike in a non-productive 2004-2005 campaign, and his handicap mark plunged in dramatic fashion from 122 to 105.

With Lee booked, it looks as though trainer John Mackie means business on account of his charge being nicely in at the weights, a hint not to be frivolously cast aside for the two-mile contest.

The main danger to the selection may easily emerge from the incongruously named near-certain favourite, The Hairy Lemon. The latter won with embarrassing ease on a visit to Towcester last week, a victory for which he must shoulder a 7lb penalty.

It's not so much the penalty, more the pathetic quality of rivals he beat on that occasion which puts me off The Hairy Lemon, who will probably kick off a poor value market leader in what appears quite a competitive affair.

Local knowledge counts for plenty and the fact Sunset Light (3.20) prevailed over course and distance last term could play a major part in the outcome of the National Hunt Novices Hurdle.

Colin Tinkler's stunningly-bred gelding is a son of Supreme Leader out of a Menelek mare, the type of mouth-watering jumping pedigree most trainers would walk over broken glass for.

According to all known evidence it's difficult to envisage anything other than a win for Royal Shakespeare (1.30) in Wolverhampton's opener.

The Steve Gollings-trained gelding hasn't run on the Flat for the neck-end of three years.

But that shouldn't deter would-be backers because in the meantime he's developed into a high-grade hurdler.

Royal Shakespeare, runner-up to Ghenghis in the Scottish Champion Hurdle, has improved out of all proportion over the sticks and if he transfers even a modicum of that progression to the level, there can only be one result in the one-mile-and-six-furlong event.

Although a winner on turf at Nottingham last time out, African Sahara (4.30) is equally effective when it comes to the polytrack.

By virtue of being successful in an apprentices-only race, African Sahara is able to race off a virtually identical rating this afternoon, an anomaly of the handicapping system from which the selection is poised to take maximum advantage.

Considering Shade Cozy (4.00) finished tailed off on a recent trip to Pontefract, tipping him up for the closing betfred.com Handicap seems at first glance to be an act of sheer lunacy.

The flip side of the coin reveals Andrew Balding's representative performed with credit on his initial couple of outings, which combined with the fitting of a tongue-strap to help his suspect airways helps balance the equation.

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