MERCHANTS FRIEND should arrive on cue to deliver the goods in this afternoon's £50,000 Agfa Diamond Chase at Sandown.

Charlie Mann's chaser has been threatening to pick up a high-profile staying race over the last couple of seasons and with both track and trip in his favour, now is the time to lump on.

Perhaps the most crucial factor in assessing the prospects of Merchants Friend (3.35) is the extremely testing nature of the uphill climb to the winning post at the Esher course.

Such stamina-sapping inclines at the business end of affairs doesn't suit all horses, but because Merchants Friend tends to reserve his last hurrah until the closing stages, he is the one likely to be grinding it out while others have tamely fallen by the wayside.

Just one word of caution to potential backers of the selection, he nearly always makes a total hash of at least one fence on the way round. I've therefore got my prayer mat out in the hope that Merchants Friend gets his customary gaff out of the way in the early stages of the three-mile contest.

If he does survive, with luck it'll then simply be a question of sitting back and relaxing while jockey Noel Fehily picks his rivals off one by one.

Seven potential Cheltenham Festival contenders line-up for the two-mile Scilly Isles Novices' Chase, including last week's Ascot scorer, Puntal, and a couple of hot-pots from the Paul Nicholls' stable, Ladalko (2.25) and L'Aventure.

Although the former achieved precious little when slamming a modest field at Folkestone, the vibes from the Nicholls' camp suggest he is a future chasing star in the making.

The presence of French champion Baracouda (3.00) has made a mockery of what under normal circumstances would be a very competitive contest for the £60,000 Tote Scoop6 Hurdle.

Every single one of his opponents has to carry more weight than they were originally allotted, therefore if the official BHB ratings are to be believed, barring accidents, Thierry Doumen's mount theoretically holds all of the aces.

With the presence of two known front-runners, Log On Intersky (4.05) and Ei Ei, in the two-mile Elmridge Handicap Chase, be prepared to behold one of the great spectacles of British National Hunt racing.

The five close-together railway fences down the back straight are a joy to behold for jumping junkies, hooked on witnessing seasoned chasers wing their obstacles in breathtaking fashion.

The jockeys say if you hit the first one on the right stride, the rest comes naturally, a point I am sure which will not be lost on Graham Lee, partner of Log On Intersky, a horse so brave he might even try to jump over a house if asked.

Howard Johnson, trainer of the fearless eight-year-old, not only knocked in a double at Catterick yesterday, he also has a great record with the horses he takes to the south London venue.

Taking those encouraging statistics into account, plus the interest created by his part-owner, Alan Shearer, it might be worth grabbing an early price about Log On Intersky, who could well turn out to be the subject of a morning gamble.

* Howard Johnson's horses returned to form with a bang at Catterick yesterday when the County Durham trainer saddled a 16.5-1 double highlighted by the success of Grey Abbey in the Tote betXpress Handicap Hurdle.

The Scottish Grand National will now be the target for Grey Abbey, who was fourth in the Ayr marathon to Take Control two years ago.

Graham Lee sent the ten-year-old straight into the lead yesterday and he gamely fought off all challengers to hold on by half a length from Columbus.

Grey Abbey was having only his second start for Johnson, who said: ''He had a fibulating heart but we stopped his heart and got it put right.

''He's a grand horse and he's coming back now. He'll be over a fence next time at Ayr, where he loves to race.

''The Scottish National is the plan - he was fourth in it once before.''

Albany initiated the double when going some way to repaying his 57,000gns price tag with a winning debut over jumps in the first division of the Hartlepool Juvenile Novices' Hurdle.

The four-year-old had a rare tussle with Parknasilla up the straight but stayed on just the stronger to land the spoils by a length at 5-2.

Albany and Parknasilla got close on the run-in but, after a stewards' inquiry, the placings remained unaltered.

Johnson, who before yesterday had saddled only one winner in the last fortnight, was relieved to see his charge prevail.

He said: ''Some of my horses have been running terribly. Grattan Lodge at Newcastle had to fall because he couldn't pick his legs up. You would have thought he'd been doped.''

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