PISTOLET NOIR can bolster his Triumph Hurdle claims with victory at Taunton.

Although unlikely to be available at any sort of price, Paul Nicholls’ four-year-old looks ahead of the game in the St James’s Place Wealth Management Novices’ Hurdle.

He may already be a Grade Two winner at Cheltenham, but the choicely-bred gelding can be considered disappointing on his return to Prestbury Park.

A sketchy round of jumping was compounded by a rather wayward front-running display in the Finesse Novices’ Hurdle at the end of January, in which he finished second at odds of 8-15.

Pistolet Noir has since undergone rigorous schooling sessions at Ditcheat, however, and ought to be a different beast for this assignment.

He is a seriously classy horse on his day and should easily set the record straight in Somerset.

Nicholls can earlier make hay with Earth Planet, who goes for gold in the Royal Bath & West Beginners´ Chase.

The eight-year-old was pretty smart over hurdles and should have derived plenty from his chasing debut in December at Chepstow, where he encountered trouble in-running.

Glebehall Bay was mightily impressive at Uttoxeter last time and can counteract a tricky rise in the weights in the Ludlow Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle.

Spruce is a horse on a high at the moment and must be followed in the southwell-racecourse.

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Julia Feilden thinks the world of this four-year-old and he won with a deal more in hand at Lingfield last Saturday than the winning margin of two and a half lengths would suggest.

Asked to go about his business rounding the home bend, he soon put the race to bed and Jim Crowley was able to ease him close home.

A bargain cast-off from the Juddmonte operation, Feilden said afterwards ‘‘he could be anything’’ in which case a 6lb penalty will not be anchoring him here as he goes in search of a four-timer.

Standard fare at Wolverhampton - literally - where Wetherby Place looks to have a cracking opportunity of securing a first victory at the 10th attempt.

The four-year-old chestnut filly has hitherto brought a limited amount to the table, but served notice her time was near here in February.

Michael Wigham’s charge came from too far back over an extended mile to finish second behind Flighty Fellow, who had the run of the race. The extra furlong in the Enjoy The Lincoln Trial - 13th March Handicap will play to her strengths, as long as more positive tactics are deployed