RICHARD JOHNSON has been gifted the opportunity to bag a big Cheltenham prize on Inglis Drever while Denis O'Regan serves out his 14-day suspension.

O'Regan was handed the fortnight- long ban after riding a finish a circuit too soon at Fakenham on one of Henrietta Knight's inmates.

Ironically the Irishman's error has left Howard Johnson without a stable jockey for the time being, hence the booking of Richard in the Cleeve Hurdle.

Richard and Howard are not related, however they both share the love of great racehorses and with 11 wins from 19 starts over hurdles, Inglis Drever (3.50) is one of the tops.

Famously successful at the 2005 and 2007 Festivals, the highclass nine-year-old recently nudged over the £600,000 mark in career earnings by scoring at Newbury.

Although heavy snow prevented the Crook-based trainer getting his string on the gallops earlier this week, a trip to the seaside proved a satisfactory substitute.

"I couldn't get get any horses out here, but managed to get a few, including Inglis Drever, to the beach at Redcar.

"Richard hasn't ridden the horse before, but neither had Denis before they won at Newbury,"

said Howard, pleased that the ground is gradually drying.

There are no runners from these parts in the feature event, the Letherby And Christopher Chase, but at least Simon is due to be ridden by Sedgefield's Andrew Thornton.

Simon (2.40), re-routed from last Saturday's abandoned Haydock meeting, has a bit to find on the figures but holds an each-way chance.

When the going gets tough, the tough get going, and Thornton's mount lacks nothing in the bravery stakes when asked to stick his head out of the trenches.

A runaway winner of last season's competitive Racing Post Chase, Simon should by rights be going great guns on the stiff uphill climb to the winning line.

Like father like son, Donald McCain Jnr is proving a dab hand when it comes to bringing along promising young chasers such as Corlande (1.35).

Eagle-eyed McCain spotted a golden opportunity for Corlande at Kelso, despite the distance of two miles being woefully short of his optimum.

The fast-improving eight-yearold duly obliged, following up an equally impressive Market Rasen win, achieved over a half-mile further.

Corlande now returns to his ideal trip in the Timeform Novices' Handicap Chase, a race in which he only has a featherweight to carry.

Brian Ellison's Hue (4.25) bids to book himself a ticket for the Festival in March by contesting the closing Brightwells Handicap Hurdle Ridden with uncanny confidence at Sedgefield late last month, Ellison's gelding appeared sunk without trace at the second flight from home.

Given Hue still had six lengths to find approaching the last, he did remarkably well to sprout wings and sprint clear of his rivals in a matter of strides.

The £16,000 ten-furlong Conferences Handicap (2.50) has attracted a quality field for Lingfield's leading Flat race of the day.

Both Middleham raiders, Speedy Sam and Tartan Tie, are in with a serious shout, especially as their respective trainers are flying.

Speedy Sam has the better overall career profile, but worryingly Karl Burke's runner is on a downward spiral at present.

In contrast, Mark Johnston's Tartan Tie is showing no signs of stopping, despite the handicapper hammering the son of Grand Lodge for his Redcar maiden triumph.

Backers lumping on Johnston's four-year-old had their fingers burnt when he pulled too hard for his own good at Wolverhampton 17 days ago.

With the benefit of hindsight it was probably a mistake to try to restrain the headstrong Tartan Tie, who I fancy will flash out of stall one and try to make all.

Jockey Greg Fairley is an excellent judge of pace and there's every prospect he'll get the fractions spot-on and take the money back to North Yorkshire.

The same trainer/jockey combo might easily initiate a double by scoring via Oberlin (12.40) in the earlier one-mile Maiden Stakes.

Oberlin, an unexposed threeyear- old, showed sufficient fire in 2007 to suggest he'll be winning sooner, rather than later.