SUPPORTERS of Bellefleur (3.50) have every right to believe she will be in full bloom at Sedgefield today.

Malcolm Jefferson has entered his six-year-old in the closing Mares' Only Handicap Hurdle, a very weak contest which will not take much winning.

Tactics in such low-level affairs nearly always play a major part, and with no confirmed front-runners in the line-up I anticipate Bellefluer will be somewhere near the front right from flag fall.

In such situations sufficient fuel must be conserved to last out the entire two-mile-and-five-furlong trip, but we should have no worries on that score since conditional rider Vinny Keane is an excellent judge of pace, and takes a handy 3lb off the selection's back for good measure.

Happily for connections, Trooper (12.50) makes a habit of winning fairly regularly at the course, picking up a total of three races over track and trip during the past 12 months.

The gelding was once labelled an out-and-out rogue following a series of mulish performances.

But once the canny Middleham handler Andy Crook got hold of him that all changed and he's now as sweet as a nut. Furthermore, Trooper's prospects of adding to an already impressive track tally in the opening Blakelaw Royal British Legion Handicap Chase were boosted in no uncertain fashion when he ran a promising race to finish fourth after his long summer break at the last meeting.

Emma Lavelle is a trainer going places and so she should be with ammunition like Huntingdon-bound Supreme Arrow (1.40) at her disposal.

Trained in Ireland until the beginning of this season, Supreme Arrow created an extremely favourable impression on his first outing in this country when trouncing a fair field at Plumpton in early October.

According to "Superform's" speed figures, Lavelle's gelding actually improved in defeat more recently at Kempton, statistics which suggest he can now get back on the winning trail in the three-mile Igloos Handicap Chase.

Lingfield re-opens its jumps track after a three-year sabbatical and the executive have been rewarded with arguably the most fascinating race of the day, the £10,000 Tote Exacta Handicap Hurdle.

The top-weight, His Nibs, boasts some pretty useful form, but he threw in the towel by refusing to jump the first fence on his recent Towcester chase bow, and even though he now reverts to the less challenging hurdling arena, the jury are still out regarding his suspect temperament.

Perhaps a more reliable option may prove to be Joshua's Bay (3.30), who was running a terrific race at Cheltenham prior to pressing the ejector button and firing the hapless Timmy Murphy out of the saddle with a monumental blunder at the final flight.

Joshua's Bay would definitely have finished third and provided there are no similar disasters he can make amends and reward those backers so cruelly robbed of their each-way cash.

* Ginger McCain knows what it takes to win the best of long-distance chases, and the Welsh National could be on Ebony Light's agenda following his dour staying performance in the Tote Credit Club Lucius Chase at Carlisle yesterday.

Ebony Light is nothing if not game and he had to dig very deep for Graham Lee before beating Lisdante by 13 lengths.

He had a long drawn-out struggle with Tribal Dancer before seeing him off between the last two, after which Lisdante was unable to strike a serious blow.

The runner-up had a neck to spare over Robbo, with Tribal Dancer in the end earning £551 for his efforts in finishing fourth.

Donald McCain, son of the Grand National-winning trainer, said: ''Ebony Light loves it around here - he is a different horse. He took some big scalps when he won a novice chase at the course last season.

''He gallops and gallops and seems to go on any ground, and I have heard the Welsh National at Chepstow mentioned for him.

''Amberleigh House is in very good form and he goes for the Becher Chase at Aintree in a fortnight's time. In fact he is so well, I wish the race was next weekend.''

Ferdy Murphy and his stable jockey Davy Russell teamed up for a double.

Riothamus took the Bowness Novices' Hurdle and Island Faith won the Lloyd Ltd New Holland Beginners' Chase, and both horses are expected to go on to better things.

Riothamus won a bumper here in the spring and Murphy, who trains him for the ten-strong Rp Racing syndicate set up by Harrogate solicitor Guy Faber, said: ''His owners bought him to be a chaser and that is what he is going to be."

Mary Reveley's stable have the same opinion of Icy River, who confirmed the promise he had shown over the course and distance a month ago when digging deep to defy top weight under Alan Dempsey in the D A Harrison & Sons Novices' Handicap Hurdle.