IN KEEPING with tradition, today's meeting at Doncaster marks the end of turf action on the Flat until next March, but before the curtain finally falls the outcome of this season's last big race, the November Handicap, must be decided.

With five three-year-olds triumphant during the past ten years, the statistics speak for themselves. Age, then, is the most reliable barometer for success and the one that makes most appeal is Wingman (3.35), who is coming nicely to hand at precisely the right time.

Until recently Wingman's form had taken more knocks than Mick McCarthy's hapless Sunderland, but that all changed when the John Hills-trained representative ran a blinder to snatch second spot over course and distance a fortnight ago.

The selection finished miles clear of the third-home on that occasion, Perle D'Or, however he failed by a length-and-a-half to overhaul Group Captain, who now re-opposes on 2lbs worse terms.

Technically speaking the revised weights shouldn't be sufficient for Wingman to turn the tables, nevertheless we might not have seen the best of the In The Wings offspring, a sire famously predisposed to producing late-maturing individuals.

From a punting point of view, there's nothing more satisfying than backing the winner of the first, although with a maximum 22 runners going for the opening Northern Racing College Apprentice Handicap, the cards are stacked in the bookies' favour.

At least in such circumstances there is a ray of hope by taking the each-way option, a sensible policy that might just pay-off if siding with Richard Whitaker's useful sprinter, Steel Blue (12.15).

Steel Blue seems to reserve some of his best performances for the track, notably when third over five furlongs under similarly testing conditions at the last meeting on the Town Moor.

The fact the five-year-old flopped on the polytrack at Wolverhampton only seven days ago need not be a worry because he clearly didn't relish the man-made surface.

John Gosden, shortly to quit Manton and return to his training roots at Newmarket, will be shifting some impressive firepower to headquarters, including Indian Pipe Dream (1.20), a rattling good bet for the Stratstone Land Rover Handicap.

Indian Pipe Dream proved he was on an upward curve when out-slugging Mark Johnston's smart cookie Hiddensee in a memorable Haydock duel worthy of two potential future champions.

The progressive three-year-old has since followed up in style on a visit to Newmarket and it will be no surprise if he develops into a genuine Ascot Gold Cup contender for 2006 campaign.

Wincanton's star-studded National Hunt card deserves close attention, especially as several pretenders for glory at next year's Cheltenham Festival are on show.

Even the valuable November Handicap cannot match the £70,000 up for grabs in the Badger Ales Trophy, a race in which the confirmed front-runner, Double Honour, is bound to take them along at a tremendous lick.

Philip Hobbs' dashing grey is more of a National type these days and both Red Devil Robert and Distant Thunder may ultimately possess superior finishing speed when the going gets tough.

Although neither has been seen out in public for some considerable time, Distant Thunder (3.15) ran particularly pleasingly on his reappearance in 2004 when he stuffed Red Devil Robert out of sight.

Admittedly the last-named Paul Nicholls' representative improved significantly subsequent to the pair crossing swords, nevertheless Distant Thunder still gets the nod on account of his acknowledged ability to produce the goods straight off a long absence.

Ferdy Murphy, fresh from a sparkling double at Hexham yesterday, travels across the border to Kelso in search of extending the winning sequence of his top-notch novice, King Of Confusion (12.40).

"He'd be one of our better horses and we've high hopes for him as the season moves on," said Murphy, whose West Witton, Wensleydale-based team can do little wrong at present.

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