THE Peter Marsh Chase at Haydock last Saturday was amazing, especially for our area.

Norman Mason pulled off another fairytale win - almost as good as last year's National - with Red Striker, the brother of Red Marauder.

Our interest was chiefly in a former member of our 12 to follow, Banker Count, another of our dozen, Hindiana, and Mary Reveley's very useful Robbo.

Banker Count, in his first run for Venetia Williams since leaving Mick Easterby, and Robbo were fighting the finish from about two fences out when Richard Guest galvanised Red Striker to swoop late and snatch the prize, with Robbo second and the Williams runner third.

Guest, who had won at Musselburgh the day before for Mason on Mr Bossman, felt that Red Striker could be a Gold Cup possible, but first he turns out tomorrow for the Great Yorkshire at Doncaster - of which more anon.

Don't give up on Hindiana, though. Only seventh, he was staying on well towards the finish and will do better yet as his jumping improves.

In the next, a Grade 2 Champion Hurdle trial, another of our dozen, Fatehalkhair, was disappointing and trailed in last of the five. But trainer Brian Ellison's confidence for the Cheltenham Festival grew the day before as Batswing won the Musselburgh novice chase impressively under Vinny Keane.

Ellison also had the novice hurdle winner in the shape of Court Of Appeal. Richard McGrath took a double, one for Mick Easterby, the other for Michael Dods.

At Uttoxeter, B The One gained a seventh win for John Quinn - this is by the same sire as Red Striker, Gunner B.

Mary Reveley's boys have continued doing well and Alan Dempsey and her new rider Patrick Aspell added wins for her in Scotland and at Catterick, where Tom Tate also nurtured Festival dreams for his very good Europa.

Dempsey and the highly confident Richard McGrath each rode a leg of a John Wade double at Wetherby. McGrath had a particularly good week for Mick Easterby, winning on Silver Socks at Musselburgh and on Belisario in the Wetherby novice chase.

George Moore's Premier Drive had been second to Europa last month at Hexham and duly won at Leicester under Russ Garritty. At Southwell's jumps meeting, he added another when Niall Hannity partnered Finnure.

Wendy Kenyon and Robert Chambers, the owners of Richard Fahey's winner, The Butterwick Kid, said they had done a rain dance the night before "and our prayers were answered."

Andrew Turnell won at Leicester with Ello Ollie, partnered by Graham Lee - the trainer's wife Gilly had a baby daughter that morning, a memorable day for the Turnell family.

The Malton trainer also won at Lingfield next day, but it was at a little cost to jockey Fergal Lynch. With train difficulties, he ended up taking a taxi from Stevenage to the track - at some £180!

On the all-weather, no one is striking more rapidly than David Barron. Following last week's good run, he took a Southwell treble on Thursday to notch up eight since the start of the year.

The meeting gave three youngsters a chance to hone their skills - Fran Ferris won on his first ride for Barron, Leanne Kershaw had her first ever win on Jedd O'Keeffe's Aberkeen and Catherine Gannon, from John Oxx's yard but with Kevin Ryan until March, partnered Lumiere Du Soleil to win.

Karl Burke, particularly with Inchcoonan, and Patrick Haslam continued winning ways, while David Chapman notched a rapid three with On The Trail in the past fortnight, ever since he sold his brother John a share in the horse.

Tomorrow at Doncaster, Heidi III bids to win the Great Yorkshire for the second year, but there are others of interest to us, not least Red Striker. Ferdy Murphy has three - Ackzo, Granit d'Estruval and The Quads - and he said that which runs depends on the ground. He wants good for Ackzo, good to soft for Granit d'Estruval and heavy for The Quads.

Richard McGrath has been given the ride on the Scottish raider Valigan, trained by Len Lungo, while Wilf Storey has chosen Graham Lee, in the form of his life at present, for outsider Weaver George.

Murphy was out of luck last weekend, but had a Sedgefield bumper winner - it may pay to side with his chosen runner. It may be too soon for Red Striker, but with Norman Mason's magic wand, not impossible.

THE WEEK'S WINNERS

Key: All racing is now National Hunt (jumping) except for Flat racing on all-weather surfaces (AW); * = evening meeting; f = furlong (8f = 1 mile); chs = steeplechase; hdl = hurdle; NHf = National Hunt flat race (bumper); mdn = maiden; nov = novice; juv = juvenile; hcp = handicap; amtr = amateur riders; cond = conditional (jumps apprentice) riders; Hb = homebred by owner (or one of the owners).

Thursday last week. - Southwell AW: (8f appr) Sudra (trained by David Barron, at Maunby; owned by East West Partnership), ridden by Fran Ferris; (8f appr) Aberkeen (Jedd O'Keeffe, Coverham; Wetherby Racing Bureau 54), Leanne Kershaw; (7f mdn) Lumiere Du Soleil (Kevin Ryan, Hambleton; Tony Fawcett), Catherine Gannon; (7f hcp) Massey (David Barron; J Edward Boynton), Dean McKeown; (8f hcp) Bolshoi Ballet (David Barron; C A Washbourn), Dean Mernagh.

Friday. - Musselburgh: (nov hdl) Court Of Appeal (Brian Ellison, Norton; Ashley Young), Vinny Keane; (hcp hdl) Royal Plum (Mary Reveley, Lingdale; Hb, Lucayan Stud), Alan Dempsey; (nov hdl) Silver Socks (Mick Easterby, Sheriff Hutton; Mrs Angela K Garaghty), Richard McGrath; (selling hdl) One Domino (Michael Dods, Piercebridge; North Briton Racing), Richard McGrath; (nov chs) Batswing (Brian Ellison; Ashley Carr), Vinny Keane; (nov hcp hdl) Hopeful Chance (Jim Turner, Norton-le-Clay; Mrs Sylvia Blakeley), Adie Smith; (hcp chs) Mr Bossman (Norman Mason, Brancepeth; permit holder), Richard Guest.

Uttoxeter: (hcp chs) B The One (John Quinn, Settrington; Andrew Page and Mr John Pollard), John Kavanah.

Wolverhampton AW: (7f hcp) Inchcoonan (Karl Burke, Coverham; David McKenzie), Keith Dalgleish; (6f hcp) Snappy (Mick Easterby; Hb, Mrs Joan Turpin), Terry Lucas.

Saturday. - Haydock: (Grade 2 chs) Red Striker (Norman Mason), R Guest.

Catterick: (nov chs) Europa (Tom Tate, Tadcaster; B T Stewart-Brown), Russ Garritty; (hcp chs) Tom's River (Mary Reveley; Jemm Partnership), Patrick Aspell.

Lingfield AW: (5f hcp) Paddywack (David Chapman, Stillington; trainer), Tony Culhane.

Wolverhampton AW: (5f mdn) Strensall (Ron Barr, Seamer; trainer), Lee Enstone; (8f hcp) Londolozi Lad (Patrick Haslam, Middleham; ), Graham Gibbons.

Monday. - Wetherby: (nov chs) Belisario (Mick Easterby; Paul G Jacobs), Richard McGrath; (hcp chs) Dashing Buck (John Wade, Mordon; permit holder), Richard McGrath; (hcp hdl) Devil's Run (John Wade), Alan Dempsey; (nov chs) Stamparland (Malcolm Jefferson, Norton; Ashleybank Investments Ltd), Tom Siddall.

Wolverhampton AW: (6f hcp) On The Trail (David Chapman; J M Chapman), Tony Culhane.

Tuesday. - Leicester: (hcp chs) Ello Ollie (Andrew Turnell, Malton; Dr John Hollowood), Graham Lee; (nov chs) Premier Drive (George Moore, Middleham; A W Sergeant), Russ Garritty.

Wednesday. - Sedgefield: (mdn chs) Ourman (Tom Tate; B T Stewart-Brown), Russ Garritty; (NHf) Toulon Rouge (Ferdy Murphy, West Witton; Racegoers Club Owners Group), J P McNamara.

Southwell (turf): (hcp chs) Finnure (G Moore; M K Roddis), Niall Hannity; ((hcp chs) The Butterwick Kid (Richard Fahey, Butterwick; Robert Chambers & Mrs M W Kenyon), Padge Whelan.

Lingfield AW: (10f hcp) Susan's Dowry (A Turnell; Mrs Claire Hollowood), Fergal Lynch