LAST year's champion apprentice jockey Paul Hanagan has already proved he can more than hold his own in the senior ranks, a point which will hopefully be further hammered home by a repeat victory aboard Mr Pertemps (3.40) at Southwell today.

The 19-year-old made no mistake when partnering Mr Pertemps to an easy three-length success over course and distance on New Year's Day, but that was only half of the story because the five-year-old sprinter was the subject of a huge off and on-course gamble that day.

There'll never be any tears from this quarter when the bookmakers are cleaned out in such comprehensive fashion and I fancy Hanagan and the speedy Mr Pertemps will have little difficulty inflicting yet more financial damage to the layers' in division two of the six-furlong Bet Direct Handicap.

Division one of the contest looks a far more competitive affair, although the top-weight, Port St Charles (3.10), might just about be able to hold sway against some fairly stiff opposition.

Port St Charles did exceptionally well to get within a half-length of the red hot Piccled at the course last time out. With nothing of the latter's calibre in this afternoon's line-up, plus Frankie McDonald taking a valuable 5lb off the selection's back, a visit to winners' enclosure beckons.

The cold weather once again threatens to decimate jump racing, with both Huntingdon and Wincanton needing to pass early-morning inspections.

As things stand, Wincanton has the best chance of beating the frost and if the fixture does go ahead, Clarendon (4.00) is definitely one for the short-list in the Annual Members Handicap Hurdle.

Reckoned by his trainer Philip Hobbs "to be extremely well-handicapped", the lightly-raced seven-year-old hurdler probably has most to fear from the unbeaten Old Vic, representing the potent Tony McCoy/Martin Pipe combination.

Pipe and McCoy might also have to settle for second best in the preceding £17,000 Wessex Chase in view of the fact Upgrade has been known to plant himself at the start in the past.

Win or lose, Upgrade is one to be very wary of and preference is for the far more predictable Armarturk (3.30), from the in-form Paul Nicholls' stable.

* Alan Berry breathed a sigh of relief as he came in from the cold when Tally gave him his first success of the winter in the hands of Franny Norton at Lingfield. Norton brought Tally with a sustained run to take up the running in the final furlong of the betdirect.co.uk Maiden Stakes and drove him out right to the line to hold off Party Turn by one-and-a-quarter lengths. Berry was busy at his Cockerham base, where he has a team of around 60 for the 2003 Turf season, and said: ''We hadn't had a winner since the end of the Turf season last year, so I'm a bit warmer now and can take my big overcoat off. I know how to train, I'd just forgotten for a while!

''Everything that can go wrong has gone wrong, but I suppose it's better to have had the problems now rather than in March when the season proper comes up.'' He added: ''We had 48 winners last year and 80 seconds, which was very frustrating, but I suppose some would be happy with that many winners.''

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