Newbury awaits weekend of wonder

Today's card at Newbury didn't strategically fall on its sword to allow tomorrow's fixture a better chance of surviving. But that extra 24 hours without six race-fields churning their way through heavy ground at the Berkshire track certainly raises hopes that the valuable Tote Gold Trophy meeting can go ahead.

It all hinges on today's 11am inspection. Even if all systems are go, we know runners in this £100,000 hurdle event - one of the hottest betting heats of the season - face very testing conditions.

In last year's renewal, Geos beat Copeland by an emphatic 10 lengths. The runner-up can again be found in this year's line-up, along with third and sixth-placed Martin Pipe-trained stablemates, Hit And Run and Rainbow Frontier, and fourth-placed Doctor Goddard. But the winner is now the best-fancied opponent to beat Istabraq in this year's Smurfit Champion Hurdle at next month's Cheltenham Festival.

A talented novice last season, Copeland returns to this extended two-mile event on a 9lb higher rating in 2001. Hit And Run and Doctor Goddard are 4lb and 15lb higher respectively, with only Rainbow Frontier better in from a 1lb lower rating. However, although the last-named gelding must be respected for his ability to handle heavy going, he has lost his way since winning at Ascot 13 months ago.

The other three re-opposing hurdlers handle testing ground, although Copeland boasts better form on a faster surface and is held by ante-post favourite, Landing Light, on their Cheltenham encounter last month. Both Hit And Run and Doctor Goddard look too high in the handicap at present and, unless the former is again ridden by a conditional jockey, are held by Red Guard on last month's Ascot form.

Landing Light has a favourite's chance, with only a 4lb penalty for his Cheltenham routing. Trainer Nicky Henderson is looking to follow up on Geos's success and has said this lightly raced hurdler is the best-handicapped horse he's had in years. But there's no value at 7-2 and at that price, while inexperience may have been to blame, the fact he hung left and carried his head awkwardly in victory is highly off-putting. Pipe's best Champion Hurdle hope, Mr Cool has been beaten only twice in his life - but that's a rather flattering gloss. His limitations were exposed at this track - where he has also twice scored in soft ground - when beaten by three-quarters of a length, albeit conceding weight and in heavy conditions, by Male-Ana-Mou. The Venetia Williams-trained Milligan, receiving 11lb, was a further two lengths adrift in third and could reverse that form on 5lb better terms.