TALK about a big fish in a little pond.

This year's gallant Grand National fourth, Kingsmark, really is a whale in with minnows at Martin Todhunter's small stable situated at the village of Orton, near Penrith. Martin has around 20 other horses in his care, but none are within 40lb of Kingsmark's current rating of 165.

"Flat, left-handed tracks are what he wants, that's why he's so good at Haydock," explained Todhunter, who is hoping to go one better than last year and win the £50,000 Tommy Whittle Chase at the course today.

"When I got hold of him he was rated 115, now he's up to 165," added the former travelling head lad to the late Gordon Richards, now successfully training in his own right on the edge of the Lake District. To say Todhunter has performed wonders with the Sir Robert Ogden's chunky grey is no exaggeration because Kingsmark has become a standing dish at Haydock, winning the valuable Edward Hanmer Chase for the third time in a row this season.

Kingsmark has yet to add the "Tommy Whittle" to his trophy cabinet, but as Todhunter said, things could have been very different

"If he had got going a bit sooner, I think he might have won it last year. He's in good order and his long-term objective will once again be the National at Aintree next April."

Aintree is also the theme of the feature race on the card at Doncaster, run in memory of the three-time Grand National-winning Middleham handler, Neville Crump.

The three-mile-two-furlong contest has attracted some progressive types, including Ian Balding's Moor Lane, plus the Howard Johnson-trained Ballybough Rasher (1.35).

The latter won by a stunning 15 lengths at Liverpool last time out and if he's in that sort of mood he'll be hard to peg back in the home straight.

Johnson pulls another rabbit out of the hat by choosing the Sea Pigeon Hurdle as the comeback race for his yard's flag-bearer over these past few years, Direct Route (3.20).

Direct Route, who has not been seen out for 617-days, is far better known as a top-class two-mile chaser.

In fact the last time he ran over fences in a handicap he was rated 165, that's a colossal 35lb higher than his current hurdles' mark, so maybe it's not such a bad game plan after all.

The near-veteran 11-year-old was originally pencilled in to contest the Tingle Creek at Sandown, but Johnson said: "He would not have beaten Cenkos and he could have had a hard race and that would have put us back to square one."

Gone are the days when Flat racing fans have to go without in winter - there are 18 races for devotees to spend their dosh on at the all-weather tracks at Lingfield and Wolverhampton.

My idea of the best bet at Lingfield is Marshman (2.40) in the seven-furlong Bet Direct Handicap.

Let's hope it's not a case of shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted since Marshman, who had been on my short-list of those to follow on the sand, annoyingly slipped through the "nap net" when rocketing home over track and trip at odds of 25-1 in November.

Finally to Wolverhampton, where paying customers can see all of the action in the comfort of the glass-fronted restaurant.

Mind you, making steak and chips last from 4pm to 9.30 in the evening is almost as difficult as finding winners at the trappy Midlands venue.

Maybe the answer for those still going strong is to wait until the finale and support Only One Legend (9.30), in the hope that Tim Easterby's back-to-form sprinter can oblige and cover the tab at the same time.

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