HOWARD JOHNSON will be dreaming of Champion Hurdle glory if Chivalry (3.10) can win this afternoon's Morebattle Hurdle at Kelso.
Chivalry, yet another big-money purchase by Johnson's principal patron, Graham Wylie, made mincemeat of his rivals when recording a facile debut success at Ayr in November.
Another of Wylie's stars, Inglis Drever, has since won even more impressively at Warwick last Saturday.
But after that blistering weekend triumph Johnson reported: "Chivalry shows more toe at home than Inglis Drever, so he could be the one for the Champion Hurdle."
Having paid a whopping 170,000 guineas for Chivalry out of Sir Mark Prescott's yard, Wylie will be praying for another grandstand performance from the gelding.
Despite his relative inexperience he should still possess sufficient class to collect the £12,000 race en-route to the Festival in March.
In the later Border Livestock Handicap Chase, Bob's Buster (3.10) bids to make amends, having blundered away certain victory at Wetherby ten days ago.
Bob's Buster came cruising up to the hindquarters of the leaders on that occasion, only to completely fluff the final fence, ignominiously hurling jockey Kenny Johnson out of the side door.
In an animated Basil Fawlty style fit of pique, Johnson was so disgusted with himself for parting company with the horse he despairingly thrashed the turf with his whip.
He then remounted Bob's Buster in order to claim third-place prize-money.
It was a farcical incident in which thankfully no one was injured, the combination living to fight another day and hopefully not making the same mistake again.
Huntingdon-bound Bonus Bridge (2.30) is poised on the verge of a scintillating hat-trick following a brace of exhibition rounds at Chepstow and Ludlow.
Henry Daly's nine-year-old is pure poetry in motion and provided his rider Mark Bradburne does not become over-confident, the £8,000 Manny Bernstein Showcase Handicap should be theirs' for the taking.
Alan King's stable is enjoying a purple patch at present, a trend likely to be continued by the ultra-consistent Chicago Bulls (3.00) in the three-mile Novices' Chase.
Chicago Bulls made a massively encouraging debut over fences at Cheltenham in December.
He finished third to Therealbandit, trained by Martin Pipe.
Considering the latter has been talked of as future Gold Cup winner, the form of the contest stands up to the closest inspection.
Of course, King's gelding will have to put in another clear round if he is to prevail, but given the slick nature of his fencing at Prestbury Park, the outcome already seems something of a foregone conclusion.
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