DARK mornings, a chill at night, it can only mean one thing: jump racing is about to take over.

This afternoon, however, there is a nice mix between the jumpers and the flat and the last chance to visit the award-winning York racecourse before it shuts its gates for the winter.

York and Ascot stage quality flat race cards, while there are three interesting meetings over the sticks at Chepstow, Hexham and Bangor.

At York the sprinters take centre stage in the Coral Sprint Trophy at 3.55, in which a maximum of 20 horses face the starter.

Leading trainer on the Knavesmire, Richard Fahey, saddles a quarter of the field and his best chance would appear to lie with Irish Heartbeat, the pick of champion jockey elect, and stable jockey, Paul Hanagan.

Fahey aside, my first pick in this wide open race would be the lightly-raced Poet’s Place, who could still have more to offer.

A winner of a similar contest at Doncaster on his penultimate start, he didn’t get any luck in running in the Ayr Gold Cup last time out.

It is interesting Philip Makin has picked Poet’s Place ahead of David Barron’s other inmate Colonel Mak, a horse on which Makin was successful last time out in the Silver Gold Cup at Ayr.

Drawn in stall seven, Poet’s Place can take this race before going on to better things next season.

Paul Nicholls and Ruby Walsh are always with the punters over the winter months and they have several good chances at Chepstow this afternoon, none more so than Escort’ Men, who runs in the Limited Handicap Hurdle at 4pm.

Lightly-raced since being bought out of France last year, Escort’ Men was successful in a decent race at Kempton before running well in defeat at Aintree.

Don’t except to see Walsh until late on the scene, something he is very good at.

Hexham also stage an interesting seven-race card, which is due to start at 2pm, and Howard Johnson can have a winner with Monogram in the maiden hurdle at 4.20.

The six-year-old was a bumper winner on his debut at Kelso last season but fluffed his lines on his first run of the season this time around when running out at the paddock bend at Perth, when sent off the wellbacked 7-4 favourite.

It is worth noting that Johnson has booked Grand National winning jockey Timmy Murphy to take the ride, and Murphy has given up his rides at Cheptsow and Bangor to travel north for the task.