MARY REVELEY'S fortunes hit rock bottom at Market Rasen yesterday where three of her much-fancied runners failed to complete the course.

But it was a far happier story at Saturday's Lingfield meeting when Tees Components won under a supremely confident ride from the underrated jockey Ollie Pears.

And Mary launches a follow-up raid to the Surrey track today in the shape of Double Blade (4.30), also due to be partnered by Pears.

By my reckoning it's a 560-mile round trip from her Lingdale-based stables to and from the track - a hugely costly exercise unless Double Blade can pick a proportion of the total £6,000 prize fund on offer.

He is admittedly something of an unknown quantity on the polytrack surface, although at least his handicap mark has slipped significantly after a fruitless campaign on the level during 2001.

On the plus side Double Blade has been in good form over the jumps this winter and in a contest sure to be run at break-neck pace, simply because of the presence of known trail-blazer Lost Spirit, the race could well be run to suit Pears' patient style.

Punters seeking to get one over the bookies in the opening skirmishes should look no further than Lord Melbourne (1.00).

With four winners on the sand last week, Jamie Osborne's yard is currently on fire.

And Osborne went on record to say he was "gutted" when Lord Melbourne was beaten on his penultimate outing, however the selection made no mistake last time with a smooth success at Wolverhampton.

The three-year-old gelding is clearly well-regarded by connections, very much on the upgrade, and poised by all accounts to complete the double.

The former top jockey Paul Cook still maintains an involvement with the sport via the ownership of Sea Top (3.00)

Sea Top didn't show anything as a juvenile, nevertheless things are beginning to look up at the start of his three-year-old career on the evidence of a promising second placing over track and trip seven days ago.

At Ludlow one of the original white-knuckle rides, Strongtrooper (2.10), finally put in a clear round at Kempton having either fallen or been pulled up on all three of his most recent outings.

Although his haphazard jumping is still a major cause for concern, Strongtrooper has to be one for the short-list for the Bitterly Novices' Chase given the weak state of the opposition.

Sharp Steel (2.40) makes a belated debut over timber in the two mile Church Stretton Selling Hurdle.

In mitigation trainer Sue Wilton has pitched the seven-year-old in at the very lowest level and in the past she has proved to be a dab hand at producing such horses to make a beneficial switch from the flat to hurdles.

Sharp Steel has been in fair fettle on the all-weather tracks of late, most notably when chasing home Our Destiny over a mile-and-a-three furlongs at Southwell in November.

On that sort of form Sharp Steel shouldn't have any stamina problems, it's just a case of how he handles the eight obstacles to be negotiated on the day

After a very long break due to the foot-and-mouth epidemic, the Hunter Chasers finally get another chance to show their mettle under Rules.

Caroline Bailey has traditionally been "mustard" in such events, so there's no reason to suppose her entry, Secret Bay (4.10), will be anything other than 110 per cent ready to justify likely favouritism in the Chase Publication Hunters' Chase.

l Adrian Maguire is hoping Saturday's Aon Chase at Newbury will put Paris Pike on target for a choice of big-race options.

Ferdy Murphy's charge landed the Ladbroke Casinos Scottish Grand National in 2000 but has yet to get his head in front in three starts after returning from injury this season.

The ten-year-old was sixth in the Pillar Property Chase at Cheltenham on his last run and is aiming to get back on the winning track in the £60,000-added contest at the Berkshire track.

He has been allotted 10st 8lb for the Martell Grand National at Aintree and is also engaged in the Tote Cheltenham Gold Cup