Earth Summit can continue his rise up the steeple-chasing ladder by winning today's £50,000 Coral Welsh Grand National for the second successive year at Chepstow. This remarkable 10-year-old took the Scottish National in 1994 when a novice and lifted the Martell Grand National last season. And now he bids to emulate Bonanza Boy, who won the Chepstow marathon in 1988 and 1989.
Bonanza Boy survived a hike in the weights when successful a second time and Earth Summit, who has 11lb more to carry, looks capable of completing the double.
In fact, the Nigel TwistonDavies trained gelding appears better than ever this season.
He returned to Aintree in November and humped 12st to a comprehensive 16-length thrashing of Samlee in the Becher Chase.
It was his latest run, however, which showed that he is not that far behind the best in the country when he ran Suny Bay to three-and-a-half lengths at level weights in the valuable Tommy Whittle Chase at Haydock.
Earth Summit's improvement can be gauged from the fact that he had been in receipt of 23lb when beating Suny Bay 11 lengths in the Aintree spectacular eight months earlier.
That improvement may be needed for Earth Summit to confirm last season's Welsh National form with Dom Samourai. The Martin Pipe-trained grey is 2lb better off for a one-and-three-quarter length defeat.
Pipe has another leading contender in Eudipe. He was runnerup to Teeton Mill in the Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup at Newbury and the winner landed the King George VI Chase at Kempton on Boxing Day.
Earth Summit can foil Pipe's bid in the big one, but the Wellington trainer can still have cause for celebration by picking up a Chepstow brace with prolific winner Miss Orphan in the Finale Junior Hurdle and exciting French import Tipstaff in the Levy Board Handicap Chase.
Pipe can also take the Pertemps Network Juvenile Novices' Hurdle at Kempton with Traulide.
Highlight of a disappointing card at the Sunbury track is the Pertemps Christmas Hurdle, featuring last year's winner Kerawi from the Twiston-Davies team.
But this £40,000-added prize provides Dato Star with an ideal opportunity for compensation after his unfortunate stumble at Cheltenham in the race won by Relkeel two weeks ago.
Malcolm Jefferson's talented hurdler had earlier slammed French Holly by five lengths in the Fighting Fifth at Newcastle. As the pair meet on identical terms the result will hopefully be the same.
Another pair of old rivals set for an intriguing clash are Direct Route and Lake Kariba in the £30,000 Castleford Chase at Wetherby.
Lake Kariba did extremely well to finish fifth to Direct Route in the Tingle Creek Trophy at Sandown after making a terrible mess of the first fence.
He will be fancied to take his revenge on the winner with a clear round and a 2lb pull, but Direct Route is on the upgrade and can come out on top again.
