CHARLOTTE VALE and Jimmy Bond are in line to spark a double for Michael Hammond's bang in-form stable at Wetherby today.

Nominated in the column's New Year National Hunt ten-to-follow list, Charlotte Vale (12.45) is bidding to follow up her bloodless debut victory over hurdles at Sedgefield in November.

Immediately after the emphatic success, Charlotte Vale was the subject of rave reviews from her talented Middleham-based handler, justified praise since the daughter of Pivotal jumped like a cat on that occasion.

The selection needs to defy a 7lbs penalty for the win but she collected with a fair bit to spare and is strongly fancied to maintain her unbeaten record in the Partridge Mares' Only Novices' Hurdle.

Jimmy Bond (1.20) is next on duty in the Woodcock Novices' Handicap Chase, a race right up his street judged on last week's runaway course and distance triumph.

The rejuvenated seven-year-old won like a fresh horse and appears to be a real force to be reckoned with over the coming weeks, especially while the ground is soft, conditions which he clearly relishes.

Another mud-loving individual, Woody Valentine (1.55), makes stacks of appeal in the £12,500 Rocom Semems Handicap Hurdle.

The Venetia Williams-trained chestnut was twice denied winning opportunities during the Christmas period as intended Leicester and Haydock engagements were called off due to frost and snow.

Hopefully it will be third time lucky for Woody Valentine, who ran a blinder on his reappearance at Cheltenham, when only lack of peak fitness prevented him from taking a hand in the finish.

The £15,000 Snipe Handicap Chase is the most valuable contest on the card, a wide-open three-mile-one-furlong event in which none of the nine runners can be discounted with any confidence.

Confirmed pacesetter Ebony Light will ensure a decent gallop, but whether he has the class to hang on up front is far from certain, potentially leaving Kerry Lads (3.05) to pick up the pieces.

Lucinda Russell's yard emerged from a long spell in the doldrums by hitting the target three times at Ayr this week.

She's clearly got her team firing on all cylinders, a factor well worth bearing in mind when assessing the prospects of Kerry Lads, who rarely gives anything less than 100 per cent.

Kicking off Wolverhampton's meeting with a winner shouldn't be hard provided Mystic Man (12.35) brings the full roast beef to the table for the opening seven-furlong Claiming Stakes.

Kevin Ryan's consistent eight-year-old has a terrific strike-rate at the Midlands venue and lost nothing in defeat when a close second to the very useful and gambled-on Atlantic Quest last time out.

Sadly Mystic Man probably won't be much of a starting price, a remark which also applies to Shade Cozy (2.15), likely to be hammered by the heavy hitters both on and away from the track.

Shade Cozy showed the benefit of being dropped back in trip from one mile to six furlongs by scoring with his head in his chest at Lingfield in December.

Andrew Balding's rangy grey has bags of scope for further improvement and shapes as if he's a cut above the rest in the Betdirect Freephone Handicap.

Get more racing online at www.racing-north.co.uk.