BARTON makes his long-awaited debut over fences at Wetherby this afternoon, but Tim Easterby's stable star might not have it all his own way against another up-and-coming chase recruit, Historg.

The high-class pair clash in the two-mile Betfair Novices' Chase and while Tim Easterby and Ferdy Murphy feel their charges will eventually do much better when tried over a longer distance, conventional wisdom dictates they start at the minimum trip.

Common sense and current standings in the official ratings (he is around 30lb superior) tells us Barton should prevail, although in the jumping game you never can tell and I wouldn't recommend taking a short price about Easterby's runner.

Some of the top young conditional jockeys in the country take each other on in the opening Novices' Handicap Hurdle. They include Liam Cooper and Tom Scudamore, scheduled to partner Java Sea (1.10) and Tapping Tam respectively.

Strictly on the book the market may well favour the latter, but with Jonjo O'Neill's stable seemingly invincible at present, Java Island just gets the nod, having run some encouraging races last term.

Formerly in the care of Barney Curley, Magic Combination's new trainer, Lenny Lungo, improved the already useful timber merchant even further by snapping up a couple of races over the summer months.

Magic Combination is still arguably on a winning weight and is fully capable of exploiting that advantage in the Polycom Handicap Hurdle.

Graham Lee, already bang on course for his best total in the saddle, has a great opportunity to move on to the 24-winner mark with Noble Pasao (3.55) in the closing two-mile Handicap Hurdle.

Andy Turnell's representative is the only four-year-old in the line-up, giving rise to the theory that he has more scope to improve than his more exposed rivals.

Noble Pasao picked up a fairly warm contest at Exeter last term, is fit from a couple of spins on the level, and all-in-all appeals as a worthy each-way contender for the finale.

As a result of the abandonment of Newbury last Saturday the Group 3 St Simon Stakes has been switched to Newmarket.

Even taking into account the shift of venue, the selection, Love Everlasting (1.00), remains the same for identical reasons.

Kevin Darley is replaced in the plate by Joe Fanning, who has a superior record on the classy middle-distance filly.

Cesarewitch first and third, Distant Prospect and Give Notice (3.40), lock horns again in the two -mile Showcase Handicap.

The latter is slightly better off at the weights, which combined with the fact he has two furlongs less to travel, leads me to believe that John Dunlop's consistent stayer will get his revenge.

l Trainer Paul Ritchens and jockey Andrew Thornton were in hot water with the stewards at Stratford yesterday over the running and riding of Pembroke Square, who finished last in the Frank Morton 'Almost A Gentleman' Novices Chase.

Ritchens was fined £700 and Thornton banned for five days (November 10 to 15) after being found guilty of schooling in public under Jockey Club Rule 158 and the horse was suspended from running for 30 days (November 5 to December 4).

Sedgefield jockey Thornton was left fuming after his mount, seeing racecourse duty for the first time in 271 days, had finished almost 43 lengths behind eventual winner Mestre Sala.

He said angrily: ''I am definitely going to appeal against the ban as I've done nothing wrong. The whole affair is a farce.

''The horse got balked at the start then I had one jumping right across me for much of the race. The horse has had more problems than Tony Blair with his broken blood vessels in the past.

''He's actually been retired once due to his problems but his owners decided to put him back into training and Paul has done a good job getting him back on the track.''

Ritchens, who trains nine horses near Salisbury Plain, said: ''The game is becoming a joke. We are the pros at doing our job and they (the stewards) are just amateurs.''

However, stewards' secretary Louise Williams countered: ''The stewards felt that Thornton had given the horse a tender ride and thought he had not demonstrated sufficient effort.''

Thornton appealed to the Jockey Club stewards over a whip ban a couple of seasons ago and had the appeal upheld and he confidently declared that this could well go the same way.

Supreme Glory, third in last season's Scottish National, collected on his reappearance in the Kerr-McGee Handicap Chase by eight lengths from Atavastic