FERDY MURPHY is a force to be reckoned with at Sedgefield where the Wensleydale handler rarely lets punters down.

The genial Irishman, who has generously been a mine of information to readers of this column over the past ten years, heads to the track with an outstanding chance of taking the Mares' Only Novices' Hurdle via Ile Maurice (2.40).

The progressive six-year-old showed she was on firmly on the upgrade at Newcastle last time out by smashing up a fair field in the style of a very useful individual.

Ile Maurice is clearly going the right way and she looks to be head-and-shoulders above her opponents in today's two-mile-five-furlong test, a distance that should suit the selection down to the ground.

Howard Johnson is another local trainer to regularly excel at the venue, a point underlined by the former point-to-pointer Weapons Inspector, a comfortable course and distance scorer on his rules debut 35 days ago.

Weapons Inspector drifted like a barge in the betting market that day, but the horse wasn't to know backers were deserting him in their droves and he won with a good deal of authority.

Graham Lee once again takes the ride on Johnson's gelding, an unexposed individual with the perfect profile to capture the feature event on the card, the leg-buckling three-mile-and-three furlong £6,800 Ramside Event Catering Handicap.

Lee also gets the leg up aboard Another Club Royal (3.10), a leading contender for the gg.com Handicap Chase.

Trained at Chodmorley in Cheshire by Ginger "Red Rum" McCain, Another Club Royal has put in a series of decent performances this term without actually managing to stick his head in front where it counts most.

Still, that's not to say he's not capable of finding the back of the net and seeing as today's target is little better than a seller, I can envisage the consistent seven-year-old making amends for some near misses.

Random Quest (4.00) rates the nap bet at Leicester in the Amateur Riders' Handicap Hurdle.

The selection was a pretty decent Flat stayer, however having slightly lost his way on the level was switched to hurdling comparatively late in life at seven years of age.

Although something of a gamble, it quickly transpired Random Quest was a pretty fast learner, collecting at only the second time of asking over the sticks on a visit to Chepstow in November.

Connections then opted to up their charge in class, sending him to Cheltenham where he was strongly supported from 12's to 9-1 in the hope of landing a nice little earner in the process.

Unfortunately it turned out to be cash down the drain for one and all on account of a serious blunder when snapping at the heels of the leaders four flights from the finish.

Such mishaps are not uncommon in the hurly-burly of National Hunt action, so provided Bernard Llewellyn's raider has not suffered any long-term damage as a result of the fall, Random Quest is surely in with a shot of upsetting hat-trick seeking and likely favourite, The Hairy Lemon.

Get more racing online at www.racing-north.co.uk.