AN outing to next month's Cheltenham Festival beckons for Monet's Garden (2.55) provided he wins his prep race at Carlisle this afternoon.

The Nicky Richards-trained star lines up for the Weatherbys Bank Chase, a £10,000 contest which is there for the taking provided he reproduces his nine-length destruction of Darkness at Ayr in November.

Darkness has since claimed the notable scalps of Iris's Gift and Zabenz, which by a process of elimination makes Monet's Garden arguably the best two-mile novice seen out over fences this term.

It doesn't take rocket science to calculate Monet's Garden is going to start at skinny odds, so in search of better value a small each-way wager is recommended on Kitski (1.45) in the earlier Kier Northern Novices Handicap Chase.

Kitski was still in cruise gear and seemingly on the verge of victory until ejecting his rider with a calamitous blunder three from home at Market Rasen prior to Christmas.

Ferdy Murphy's eight-year-old then went to Sedgefield, a sharp left-handed track that according to connections may not have been particularly to his liking.

He's now been switched to run in the reverse direction, a sensible ploy designed to help Tom Dreaper's mount hold every chance in what appears to be a wideopen affair.

In common with Kitski's jockey, gravity got the better of Brian Harding when he failed to keep his partnership with Funny Times (2.20) intact at Ayr.

It was a nasty tumble and, having been given three months to recover her confidence, Funny Times, with Tony Dobbin replacing Harding in the saddle, may well make amends in the John Smiths Mares Only Hurdle.

The bookmakers might not see the joke if, as expected, Comical Errors (3.30) empties their hods by getting the better of his rivals for the Andrew Flintoff Leukaemia Handicap Hurdle.

Comical Errors is yet another individual to have hit the deck last time out, although it wasn't his fault as he was badly hampered and had no hope of staying upright at Musselburgh.

Such incidents are extremely frustrating, but in my book it's only a temporary setback because he'd previously scored in handsome fashion at the Scottish venue, which he followed with an even better effort on a visit to Catterick.

Alan Swinbank has some enviable ammunition for 2006, none more so than the unbeaten Alfie Flits (4.35), who despite his double penalty is going to be very hard to overhaul in the closing National Hunt Race.

Alfie Flits has already mopped up similar events at Wetherby and Southwell, successive wins that confirmed Alan's high opinion of the extremely progressive four-year-old.

Best bet at Ludlow is Benrajah (3.15), returning to her optimum trip of two-and-a-half-miles for the Attwood Trophy.

Martin Todhunter has been fiddling around with the mare over distances in excess of three miles lately, tactics that were worth a try but ultimately ended in failure.

* Trainer Willie Musson and jockey David McCabe enjoyed a successful day at Jockey Club headquarters in London as punishments meted out to them under the 'non-triers' rules' were quashed.

After a lengthy hearing which involved extensive analysis of the performance of the horse, High, in a one-mile maiden claimer at Southwell last month, the disciplinary panel overturned the rulings of the local stewards, which saw Musson fined £1,250, McCabe banned for 12 days and the horse suspended from running for 40 days.

The horse, who was backed in from an opening show of 9-1 to a starting price of 11-2, was last in the early stages before making late progress to finish sixth, beaten just under nine lengths.

Musson, who was not legally represented, told the panel that he felt he had been ''victimised by the Jockey Club''.

He referred to two previous fines he received within the space of two months back in 2000, both of which he appealed against unsuccessfully.

''Just like I did then, I feel the stewards have had a pre-conceived idea to pick on this horse in this particular race,'' he said.

''I asked the Jockey Club if there were any unusual betting patterns and there wasn't."