THE GRAND National winner Rough Quest will spice up a mundane pre-Christmas Tuesday when he runs in the Lympne Novices' Hurdle at Folkestone today.
The unusual move came about after the two-year-old was denied a prep race for next week's King George VI Chase when Haydock was abandoned last Saturday.
Terry Casey's runner faces no easy task here, over a distance short of his best and up against several promising hurdlers. Martin Pipe's Captain Jack, the consistent Royal Event and French import Dest in D'Estruval are all major players.
It will be Rough Quest's second run of his career over hurdles, having fallen on his first attempt at Uttoxeter in May 1991. But he's since developed into a smart chaser, finishing second to Imperial Call in the Cheltenham Gold Cup and then gaining his greatest triumph at Aintree.
Rough Quest is a slayer with a turn of foot and as he's reported well forward by Casey, his sheer class can see him through here.
At Musselburgh, Seconds Away can spring a surprise in the Sea Hole Selling Handicap Hurdle.
This is a poor race by any standards, so it's worth taking a chance with James Goldie's five-year-old despite some modest efforts over hurdles to date. Seconds Away has shown ability on the Flat where he was placed three times this year and this easy two miles on fast ground could bring out the best in him.
Jack Berry can land a first and last race double courtesy of Smolensk and Carlisle Bandito's. Smolensk failed to set the world alight on the Flat but looks a much better prospect over hurdles.
The four-year-old came up against the impressive Hurricane Lamp at Warwick last month, going down by five lengths to David Nicholson's charge. The winner franked the form at Sandown last week and Smolensk's earlier run, when five lengths third to Mywend's at Uttoxeter, is solid form.
Today's Table Maiden Hurdle looks by far Smolenk's easiest assignment of the season and he gets a confident nap vote to see of hurdling debutant Invest Wisely.
Carlisle Bandito's should not be troubled to follow up last week's course success in the Short Hole Standard National Hunt Flat.
