NEVER afraid to travel his horses, Ferdy Murphy goes in search of a long distance across-the-card double via Leading Man (2.40) at Newcastle and Folkestone raider, Green Ideal (2.50).

The Wensleydale-based trainer shouldn't have too many worries about the Tony Dobbin-ridden Leading Man, who at first glance was a desperately disappointing joint-favourite when only fourth at Ayr last time out.

As ever, it's often wise to reserve judgement until the full value of the form is available for analysis, and subsequent results have demonstrated it was actually a pretty hot race at the west of Scotland course.

The three-mile Sporting Index Maiden Hurdle in which Leading Man lines up this afternoon is certainly a far less testing event, therefore given his encouraging past record, a first victory beckons in the £3,500 contest.

Green Ideal's 600-mile trip to and from the south coast is going to be utterly miserable if he doesn't capture the two-miles-and-five-furlong Beginners Chase.

"He's the unluckiest horse I've ever trained," declared Ferdy, and that was before Green Ideal unseated his rider when absolutely cruising at Sedgefield eight days ago!

Retained stable conditional jockey, Keith Mercer, was in - or rather out - of the saddle that day, but he's now been replaced by the much more experienced Timmy Murphy, no relation incidentally to Ferdy.

Timmy's a very hard man to dislodge and given his excellent statistics on limited opportunities for Ferdy, Green Ideal's recent tale of woe might well be about to end, even though he faces stiff competition from Robert Alner's consistent seven-year-old, I Hear Thunder.

Back on Tyneside, Star Trooper (3.10) has given up the uneven struggle in steeplechases by reverting to the smaller obstacles in the Saltwell Signs Selling Handicap Hurdle.

The selection was never travelling with any sort of zest when tailed off over fences at Carlisle a few days ago, but that's not to say he's totally out-of-sorts since the nine-year-old was motoring like a Rolls Royce prior to falling the time before that.

Star Trooper is taking a hefty drop in class for this afternoon's two-miler, which together with his young rider's 7lb allowance, should enable him to master a paltry five relatively poor rivals.

There's even worse news for punters in view of the dismal turnout of only four horses in the later St James Security Handicap Chase.

By my reckoning pick of the quartet might easily prove to be General Gossip (4.10), who did nothing wrong on his Exeter chase debut when third to Home James and Glenamana in January.

General Gossip had previously blitzed Full On by seven lengths on his seasonal return at Leicester over timber, a reproduction of which could see him home and hosed, despite having to shoulder top-weight.

* Yorkshire's racecourses are to offer a VIP package for four people to the first day of Royal Ascot at York in June as a competition prize. It's a racecard competition to be held on selected race days at Yorkshire meetings between Doncaster's fixture on February 23 and the same track's meeting on May 28, when the draw will take place. The prize, valued at £1,000, has been donated by Harrogate-based Sky Bet.

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