TURGEONEV bids to follow in Function Dream's footsteps by bringing the £60,000 Victor Chandler Chase back north for the second year in succession.

Twelve months ago Mary Reveley's Function Dream gloriously galloped her southern counterparts into submission and now is the turn of the gutsy gelding Turgeonev (1.50) to repeat the medicine.

Tim Easterby's talented grey has reeled off a fantastic three-timer, most recently claiming a couple of notable scalps in the shape of October Mist and Jungli in the Castleford Chase at Wetherby.

Turgeonev's hold-up style of running looks ideal for the Berkshire showpiece - a contest bound to be run at a cut-throat pace throughout.

Turgeonev might not be the only Yorkshire horse to prevail because neither should Les Eyre's Benbyas (2.20) be far away in the in the following two-mile Handicap Hurdle.

Re-routed from yesterday's abandoned meeting at Kelso, Benbyas has also been in sparkling form, rounding off his hat-trick with a scintillating wire-to-wire win at Cheltenham.

Considering the five-year-old was only modest when campaigned on the level, he has made remarkable improvement since being switched to jumps.

But this is not the first time eight flights of hurdles has awakened a thoroughbred's ideas and it's as well to climb on the bandwagon while the wheels are still rolling.

Warwick has put together a corking National Hunt card centred around the Tote-sponsored Warwickshire Gold Cup.

Plenty of potential Aintree Grand National candidates are on parade, including Beau, Take Control, and Royale de Vassy (3.10).

The latter, trained by Venetia Williams, produced one of the bravest performances of the season so far when battling back to beat Royal Predica at Cheltenham.

Much of the credit must go to Norman Williamson, who conjured up a spine-tingling late rally from the mare after she had looked beaten jumping the final fence.

Tony McCoy, fresh from completing his record-breaking double century at Huntingdon yesterday, has yet more success in his sights via Seebald (12.30), seeking an amazing seven-timer in the Roscoe Harvey Novices' Chase.

In the Grade 2 Tolworth Hurdle, switched from Sandown, runaway Haydock scorer Miros is bound to have his supporters, but the vibes from Middleham surrounding Sea Drifting (2.35) have been more than positive.

By the Derby winner Slip Anchor, out of a Sadler's Wells mare, Sea Drifting won as he liked both at Newcastle and Ayr. Admittedly the "Tolworth" is far more competitive, but with that sort of pedigree further progress seems very much on the cards.

A high draw in the £20,000 Littewoods Bet Direct Handicap at Lingfield probably means curtains for David Barron's front-runner Game Guru.

He might in any case struggle against the potentially more classy Million Percent (3.05).

Trainer Karl Burke is not the kind of guy to hide his light under a bushel and he's always spoken in glowing terms about Million Percent, second in listed company at Ripon on the grass in the summer.

Burke has clearly trained the three-year-son son of Ashkalani with this valuable race in mind and breaking from stall number four, believe me Million Percent is not going to be hanging about