WITH THE National Hunt season now well and truly under way, jumping fans have the field to themselves with Haydock, Kempton and Newton Abbot supplying today's fare.
Champion jumps trainer Martin Pipe is already well ahead in this season's championship race with more than £223,000 in win and place prize money.
That figure should increase by about £3,000 by the end of the Preston Amateur Riders' Handicap Hurdle at the Lancashire track courtesy of Palosanto.
Palosanto goes well for rider Ashley Farrant as he showed when making all to beat Garolo by a neck under the jockey, in a similar event at Exeter in April.
The six-year-old responded positively to Farrants urgings to get the better of his rival despite being headed at the last. It was a brave performance which if repeated this afternoon should get his new campaign off to the perfect start.
Saint Ciel enjoys his racing at Haydock with three of his career victories, including his only success of last season. coming at the track.
Despite slight reservations about the going, he could well strike again by landing the Radio City Handicap Hurdle at decent odds.
Lynda Ramsden's Falcon's Flame landed an apprentice event on the Flat at Beverley in July and produced other creditable performances at Pontefract and here on the level.
He then produced a pleasing performance when runner-up to Lagan at Wetherby on his hurdles bow. That will have taught him a lot about the game and he can go one better by taking the opening Birchfield Juvenile Novices' Hurdle.
Greenhack must know his way to Kempton by heart having made the Sunbury track the only port of call for his two placed outings this season.
Philip Hobbs had two races in mind for his charge today. The trainer has plumped for the Ace Cup Novices' Chase and the hint should be taken.
Kieren Fallon will appear before the disciplinary committee of the Jockey Club today to answer a charge of misleading it at an earlier hearing.
The jockey, who is due at Portman Square at 2.30pm, made an appearance before the committee on July 18th at which he was fined £500 for riding whilst having a red entry in his medical book, requiring him to pass the racecourse doctor before riding again.
