IF as expected Zibeline (12.30) takes the opener at Sedgefield, he will join the exclusive club of horses to have won on the Flat, over hurdles, and finally, in the steeplechase arena.

Zibelline, good enough to be twice placed in Newcastle's Northumberland Plate on the level, was also successful in a valuable hurdles event at Aintree last season.

He should need to do little more than stand up in order to pick up first prize for division one of the Betfred Beginners' Chase.

Of course there is the not-so-minor matter of 16 fences to be jumped, therefore it would probably be unwise to go steaming in at the bookies all guns blazing, so to speak.

But Zibeline was fluent enough during his hurdles career, always hinting that he would be every bit as good once tried over the bigger obstacles.

According to the Official Ratings, the finish of the betfred.com Novices Hurdle will be fought out between Blairgowrie (1.00) and Minster Shadow.

Minster Shadow followed up his Carlisle triumph with a perfectly satisfactory third placing at Wetherby, but on the balance of the available evidence, Blairgowrie is the more strongly fancied of the pair.

Howard Johnson's lightly-raced stayer only had the width of a cigarette paper in hand over Hot Weld when he scored at Hexham, but as the latter has gone on to win twice since that time, the form is nothing short of cast-iron.

The Johnson team might also strike again in the later two-and-a-half-mile Handicap Hurdle with Dj Vu (2.00).

Having witnessed just how hard the officials are on some wide-margin winners, it seems incredible that Dj Vu was put up only 5lb, having routed his rivals by eight lengths over track and trip last time out.

Such largesse is extremely rare these days and I'm sure Dj Vu is unlikely to look a gift horse in the mouth by fluffing his lines off what can only be described as a very favourable mark.

Andy Crook, responsible for last year's Scottish Grand National hero, Ryalux, could do with a boost and Trooper (2.30) might just be the one to deliver the goods.

Trooper is an enigmatic old so-and-so, prone rather like an ageing car to running in fits-and-starts. But when the ten-year-old is on a going day, he can be pretty hard to beat at a venue where in the past he has enjoyed the majority of his success.

There's another link to the Scottish National in the next race because many moons ago Mickey Hammond partnered Hardy Lady to victory in the north-of-the-border marathon for the late Jumbo Wilkinson.

Hammond has long since hung up his boots and turned his attentions to training, a sphere in which he's done well with horses like Mexican (3.00), a decent each-way shot in the extended two-mile Handicap Chase.

Consistency isn't exactly Mexican's middle name, but he's quite a potent force in weak races.

With the easy ground very much to his liking, Wilson Renwick's mount should be on the premises come the finale of the £6,500 contest.

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