Fadalko to carry top weight

Fadalko headed 28 horses confirmed yesterday for Saturday's £80,000 Thomas Pink Gold Cup at Cheltenham.

The Paul Nicholls-trained gelding, an impressive winner at Wincanton last month, is set to carry top weight of 11st 10lb in the absence of stablemate See More Business.

Nicholls has also withdrawn Call Equiname and Ad Hoc but will be represented by Norski Lad.

Recent Stratford winner Davoski has stood his ground but his trainer Venetia Williams has pulled out last year's winner The Outback Way and Bellator.

Martin Pipe has a strong hand in the prestigious handicap with six possibles at the five-day stage - Majadou, Upgrade, Tresor de Mai, Lady Cricket, Dark Stranger and Exit Swinger.

Ireland could be represented by the Jessica Harrington-trained Slaney Native, Frances Crowley's Moscow Express and Feathered Leader from Arthur Moore's stable.

Mister Morose will have to carry 12st 6lb if he is to take his place in the £50,000 Direct Answers Hurdle at Cheltenham the following day, having picked up a 6lb penalty for his success at Wincanton last Saturday.

Nigel Twiston-Davies' charge is one of 21 horses confirmed for the contest.

Pipe, who won this race last year with Rodock, has four possibles in the shape of Hit And Run, Rainbow Frontier, The French Furze and Mister Lamb.

Meanwhile, Gary Moore's trek through rain-hit Sussex should pay off with a double at Lingfield today.

The Brighton-based trainer can strike with Barbason and Fusul as all-weather Flat racing comes to the rescue for Britain's punters after the loss of jumps fixtures at Huntingdon and Sedgefield.

Barbason is a regular commuter from the south coast, having won seven times on the Equitrack circuit in his career.

And he has been given a fine chance to make it eight in division one of the Lingfield Park Handicap tomorrow.

His official all-weather rating has plummeted to just 54, his lowest mark since early 1997, after a modest run of form early this season.

But the eight-year-old has appeared to bounce right back to his best on grass since, winning an amateur riders' event at Goodwood and finishing a good fourth in a conditions race on the turf course here last time out.

He is ideally suited by this mile-and-a-quarter trip and should take full advantage of his low mark.

Fusul is nearer the top of the weights in the Contact Sales & Marketing Apprentice Handicap.

But he is far from harshly-treated with 9st 6lb to carry and should go very close.

The dual course winner was an excellent second of 17 last time out and will be all the better for that first run in seven weeks.

African Czar is literally a winner without a penalty in the Parties In The Pavilion Median Auction Maiden Stakes.

He passed the post first on his debut in a similar event at Wolverhampton last month, only to be demoted to second by the stewards for adjudged interference with runner-up Moyne Pleasure.

A reproduction of that effort should see him able to set the record straight today.

Virtual Reality will take all the beating in division one of the Christmas Nights Claiming Stakes.

His success in the same grade at Brighton last time out makes him the clear pick of the weights, particularly after apprentice Pat Dobbs' 5lb claim is taken into account.