A smattering of National Hunt's top staying stars turn out for their final hurrah of the current jumps' season at Sandown today, where the £150,000 Attheraces Gold Cup Chase takes centre stage.

Although the last two winners of the race, Ad Hoc and Bounce Back, both take their chances, I much prefer the prospects of Gunther McBride (3.30).

Gunther McBride's aggressive front-running style will have most of the field in trouble from a long way out, which is exactly what happened in the Scottish Grand National a couple of weeks ago when he led the field a merry dance over the first 20 fences of the four-mile-and-one-furlong lung-buster.

For my money the marathon trip was simply too far and closer analysis of previous lines of form reveal that Gunther McBride, who won the 2002 Racing Post Trophy, is at his most deadly when forcing the pace at distances short of four miles. It's always hard to ignore the claims of the likes of Martin Pipe and Paul Nicholls, both of whom go in mob-handed for the feature chase. However, on this occasion trainer Philip Hobbs could well have the last laugh over his arch west-country rivals.

The top Flat race on the mixed card is the Group 2 Bet attheraces Mile worth a total of £100,000.

Mark Johnston reported that Desert Deer was short of fast work in preparation for his crack at Newmarket's Earl Of Sefton Stakes the week before last and in the circumstances the imposing chestnut colt did well to finish runner-up to John Dunlop's Olden Times. Another of Dunlop's top-notch milers, Dandoun, now takes on Desert Deer and I anticipate a magnificent tussle between the pair.

The safest bet might be to have a reverse forecast since it is very hard to spilt the talented duo on current ratings.

Arguably one of the best-bred horses currently in training, Izdiham (4.10), a son of the 1,000 Guineas winner Harayir, has all the hallmarks of the potential victor in the Group 3 Sir Gordon Richards Stakes.

Described as "a big-race winner waiting to happen" by his trainer Marcus Tregoning, Izdiham might well progress right up to Group 1 standard as the season moves along, meanwhile this afternoon's valuable ten-furlong affair is an ideal springboard to get his 2003 campaign off to a winning start.

Kieren Fallon side-steps the day's main meeting at Sandown to go to Leicester, which is surely a hint worth taking.

The champion jockey looks poised to kick off proceedings with a winner aboard Paul Cole's promising colt Fine Silver (2.05) in the opening five-furlong two-year-old maiden race.

Kieren has several other decent rides, notably Red Carpet (3.45) in the Group 3 Tom Fruit Stakes over seven furlongs.

Anyone who backed Red Carpet when he scored at Doncaster's Lincoln meeting has Fallon to thank because he was chasing after his mount from the word go over an adequate six furlongs that day.

Fifth in last year's 2000 Guineas at Newmarket, Red Carpet's optimum trip is probably today's distance of seven furlongs and he'll be a tough nut to crack despite the obvious claims of previous course and distance scorer, Tillerman.

Mark Johnston gave Racing North readers a positive pointer towards the prospects of his newcomer Delsarte (4.55) in the mile-and-quarter Lord Mayor's Maiden Stakes, so I think it is pretty safe to assume the thus far unraced three-year-old has plenty of ability.

Finally to Ripon, where some competitive heats make winner-finding far from easy.

The two-mile C.B Hutchinson Memorial Handicap is a teaser to say the least and in selecting the consistent, if-hard-to-win-with, Establishment (2.35), I am hoping Darryll Holland's strength in the saddle will be sufficient to see him home.

The £20,000 ripon-races.co.uk Conditions Stakes is another contest in which Holland should play a leading role, this time aboard Miss Corniche (4.15).

Miss Corniche is a very good filly on her day with not many miles on the clock either.

She also goes well when fresh, not to mention the fact that her Newmarket handler Geoff Wragg has his team in excellent fettle.

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