TIM EASTERBY travels to Sandown with live prospects of landing a double via Pay Attention (1.35) and Tribal Dispute (3.45).

The North Yorkshire-based handler isn't one to send his horses on unnecessarily long journeys if they haven't got a prayer, but the way Pay Attention shaped at Carlisle it could be her opponents who resort to seeking divine assistance.

The five-year-old struck a rich vein of form in 2005 winning four from six, a hot streak resulting in a marked shift up the ratings, although that's not to say Pay Attention isn't capable of defying top-weight and capturing the Mares' Only Handicap Hurdle.

If Tribal Dispute's recent second placing at Cheltenham is anything to go by, his credentials are even stronger for the closing two mile Handicap Chase.

Tribal Dispute was rated an unconsidered 33-1 shot when chasing home Tysou at Prestbury Park, outsiders' odds that he made a total and complete mockery by registering a career best performance over fences.

The £100,000 Ladbroke Hurdle, in which the weights are headed by the 2005 runner-up Self Defense, is by far the most prestigious prize to be bagged on the card.

In keeping with 12 months ago, Self Defense is worthy of a small each-way investment, along with the lightly campaigned Chief Yeoman (3.10), the undoubted dark horse of the contest.

Second to finish in the Triumph Hurdle at the 2004 Cheltenham Festival, Chief Yeoman has only made the racecourse on three occasions since that heroic effort in the undisputed juvenile novices' hurdle championship.

From a fitness point of view the selection must have needed his reappearance run after a 55-week absence at Windsor in December, an outing in which he harried the useful and fast-improving Martin Pipe-trained Acambo all the way to the line.

The extended three mile Handicap Chase is an absolutely corking heat, with the majority of the top southern trainers all fielding realistic contenders.

Messrs Pipe, Nicholls, Hobbs, and Henderson are all pitching for the big pot, however it could be the lesser known, yet able Charlie Egerton, who usurps the lot with Graphic Approach (2.05).

Last time out he jumped as if he had all four legs tied together and yet somehow, amazingly, still nabbed second spot in a pretty warm 0-130 Newbury event.

One possible reason for the deplorable standard with which he feebly attempted to get over the obstacles might have been that Graphic Approach was galloping left-handed.

He's going the other way round today, which combined with massive bonus of Tony McCoy replacing Barry Fenton in the saddle could spell serious trouble for the bookmakers provided McCoy's legion of fans get stuck in.

Rehearsal's appearance at Lingfield has got to be a first for the predominantly National Hunt Scottish based handler, Len Lungo, who sends his gelding on the marathon trek from Dumfries-shire to the Surrey venue.

Lungo's occasional forays onto the Flat generally meet with some sort of success, so the participation of Rehearsal (3.20) in the valuable £20,000 Betdirect Handicap warrants the utmost respect.

Jockey Paul Hanagan got a pretty good tune out of the four-year-old when the pair ran superbly to be beaten by less than one length into third spot at Wolverhampton 11 days ago.

This mile-and-a-half encounter appears to be a slightly weaker affair and unless something goes radically wrong, it's hard to envisage anything other than Rehearsal being closely involved in the finish of the fixture's showpiece.

Fontwell's tricky figure of eight configuration wrong foots many a horse, however that remark should not apply to previous track and trip scorer, Kings Castle (1.55). Trained in Somerset by Ron Hodges, Kings Castle has been a tremendous stable servant to Ron over the years, none more so than when he mopped up successive selling races at Newton Abbot and Southwell in the spring of 2005.

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