BACK-TO-FORM Millkom Elegance (2.00) makes maximum punting appeal in Taunton's opening Selling Handicap Hurdle.

Having picked up useful prizemoney both on the level and over jumps for Kevin Ryan last season, Millkom Elegance then moved to pastures new in deepest Somerset to join Gerald Ham's far smaller set-up.

At first Ham had no joy at all with his recruit from the north, however patience is a virtue in the art of training racehorses and the six-year-old finally recaptured much of his former sparkle when scoring on the Flat at Wolverhampton ten days ago.

Spurred on by that 10-1 success, the versatile Millkom Elegance looks well worthy of support in the low-grade two-mile-and-three-furlong event which, as its title so accurately suggests, will not take a great deal of winning.

Aided by the slightly warmer climate in the west-country, Taunton generally has a good cover of grass and is therefore very popular with the local trainers.

Although this makes for stacks of runners, unearthing winners is another story, with the bookies generally holding the upper hand. One method of attempting to redress the balance is to concentrate on previous winners at the track, such as Gola Supreme (3.30).

Richard Lee's ten-year-old is going to go off at a double-digit price in the Beginners' Chase. That shouldn't put backers off having a small each-way wager purely on the strength of him being a proven performer at the ultra-sharp right-handed venue.

The £20,000 Fobra Gold Cup Challenge Cup at Ludlow is the highlight of their seven-race card.

Not one of the eleven contestants can be dismissed with any measure of confidence, so the betting for the competitive three-miler should be wide open. My own idea of the first-past-the-post is Joint Authority (3.50), who jumped with pinpoint precision when second in Sandown's Royal Artillery Gold Cup last time out.

Using past form as a yardstick, the extended 25-furlong trip probably stretched Joint Authority's stamina to the absolute limit. If that was the case, the game gelding seems sure to be suited by this minor drop down in distance, together with the far easier nature of the Shropshire course.

Having avidly followed the fortunes of Golano (3.10), it was a major mistake not to have napped Paul Webber's grey when he went to Wolverhampton and obliged at 7-1 recently.

In the knowledge that Golano acts equally well at Lingfield, Webber has opted for a tilt at the £10,000 Littlewoods Direct Handicap, an event he's perfectly capable of lifting, especially as he likes to be up with the pace throughout