Golden Well tipped

Johnson's mighty Middleham outfit has already netted well over £1.7m in prize money, plus 111 domestic winners including a double at the track yesterday via Double Honour and Simeon.

And there are plenty of good reasons to side with Golden Wells, not least because a few months ago he was a leading contender for a far higher-class event, the Group 2 King Edward Stakes at Royal Ascot in June.

Fast ground scuppered his prospects that day, but last month he returned in triumph to the Berkshire course beating the useful pair Nadour Al Bahr and April Stock over a mile-and-a-quarter on a much easier surface.

Many shrewd judges reckon April Stock will turn the tables over today's extra two furlongs, however I disagree, especially with the shrewd tactical decision to clap the blinds on the smart son of Sadler's Wells.

"He tends to bit a lazy and comes and off the bridle so the blinkers should hopefully help him keep in touch with the leaders in the early part of the race," explained Mark's wife, Deirdre.

The stable have already won the valuable handicap twice with Quick Ransom (1993) and Yavana's Pace (1998), and even if you're not a fan of Golden Wells (3.35), for heaven's sake have a saver on the other Kingsley House runner in the race, Mana d'Argent.

Mana d'Argent has twice gone close this term in similarly competitive handicaps and has the ideal profile to make a bold show in the £30,000 event.

Any Saturday afternoon each-way Yankee punters out there should certainly consider combining Johnston's entire raiding party, Ela d'Argent (1.50), Akbar (1.50), and Xellance (3.00) in with Golden Wells or Mana d'Argent, for multiple bet purposes.

Ela d'Argent has been allotted a very handy weight for the Sureflow Nursery by virtue of a couple of disappointing performances, having previously scored with a ton in hand at Newcastle in September.

Freshened up by a 44-day break, the daughter of Ela-Mana-Mou will be breaking out of the favoured number 1 stall and cannot be dismissed lightly.

Akbar tries his luck in the Listed CIU Serlby Stakes after a rare lack-lustre run in Switzerland on his latest start.

Prior to the foreign debacle, Akbar had been in the form of his life winning at Goodwood and latterly at York where he bagged a similar standard prize in a very fast time.

Xellance makes a lightening reappearance having held on gamely in a two-miler at Musselburgh on Wednesday.

The selection idled in front on that occasion - consequently it might pay to ignore the narrow winning distance of only a neck over Il Cavaliere.

When Micky Hammond unexpectedly threw in the towel in April one of the horses he must have been sorry to leave behind was Tysou (2.00), who subsequently switched to add yet more firepower to Nicky Henderson's already powerful stable.

It's mighty unusual to see four-year-old over fences, but Henderson is well aware Tysou qualifies for all of the available weight allowances in the £25,000 Rising Stars Novices' Chase at Chepstow.

Over hurdles Tysou was a magnificently athletic creature and there's no reason to expect that he has been nothing less than hugely impressive on the schooling grounds throughout the lead up to his much-awaited comeback.

In the following £35,000 Tote Silver Trophy, Martin Pipe goes in mob-handed with four of the ten runners.

Majed appears to be the pick of his quartet, although for the winner I look elsewhere in the guise of Legal Lunch (2.30).

The Robert Stronge-trained six-year-old came back with a bang at Southwell, trouncing Present Bleu with any amount to spare. Legal Lunch often flattered only to deceive on the level, none the less over timber he's really beginning to look the part.

Wincanton's £40,000 Badger Beer Chase is the most valuable jumps race of the day featuring among others Montifault, Enrique, and Carbury Cross (3.15).

Carbury Cross was a well-backed favourite when reappearing over hurdles at Aintree a couple weeks ago. Jonjo O'Neill's gelding didn't come up with goods, but at least the outing will have improved his fitness levels no end.

Malcolm Jefferson sends Dibea Times (1.35) all the way down from Malton to contest the £25,000 Elite Hurdle.

Using the Official Ratings as a strict guide, he needs to improve to blitz some of his southern rivals. On the plus side, Dibea Times is just the type of individual to come on in leaps and bounds with the benefit of a long summer break behind him.

Hat-trick seeking Zurs (2.50) is admittedly a fairly unoriginal tip in the Kingston Handicap Hurdle at Sandown.

The fact remains he won doing cartwheels at Cheltenham, a success that marked the eight-year-old down as one of the most progressive hurdlers currently operating within the handicap ranks.

l Andrew Thornton was incensed by the Jockey Club's decision not to overturn a five-day ban at a hearing today and as a result he could now miss the prestigious Thomas Pink Gold Cup meeting at Cheltenham a week today.

He appealed against the penalty he was handed after riding Pembroke Square in a novice chase at Stratford on November 1.

The local stewards suspended him in light of Rule 158 which governs schooling in public.

They also fined trainer Paul Ritchens £750 and banned the horse for 30 days.

After a lengthy hearing, an angry Thornton said: ''It went badly for me I'm sick as a parrot.

''I still know I'm innocent but obviously I had to try to persuade the appeal panel.

''I got my deposit back. They felt I had very good grounds for an appeal I don't know how close it was.

''Basically, there was a very important section of the race, 45 seconds, which wasn't on the tape.

''There is vital evidence which isn't shown on the film from the fourth last which is when the race starts in earnest.

''All angles weren't covered and the top and bottom of it is they still found me guilty.

''He was a first time novice chaser whose had a history of problems and I've ridden him to the best of ability on the day.

''I've had 34 winners my best ever start to a season and this is the last thing you want.

''As things stand, I had more to lose by going to the inquiry I miss the Thomas Pink meeting.

''I could have taken it on the chin and taken the ban tomorrow and the first four days of next week and would have missed very little but I was just trying to clear my name.

''I had a lot more to lose and now I'm in a worse position than I was.

''I'm missing days just trying to clear my name because I feel I've done nothing wrong."