ARMCHAIR punters are in for a treat tomorrow when Channel 4 will produce a 'double-header' of televised action, showing a total of seven races from Wincanton and Huntingdon.

One of the highlights at Wincanton is the Jim Ford Challenge Cup Chase, a £17,500 event, which has been selected to provide Strong Promise with his springboard to Cheltenham for a crack at next month's Gold Cup.

The top novice chaser of last season when he won six races, Strong Promise did not make his reappearance this term until 15 days ago when he finished second to One Man in the Comet Chase at Ascot, beaten five lengths on that day.

Having looked to be travelling equally as well as the winner at the third-last fence that day, Strong Promise could then pull out nothing extra.

That race will surely have done him a power of good and, stepping up in distance tomorrow, he is expected to come out on top. Norman Williamson again has the mount.

The £30,000 Axminster 100 Kingwell Hurdle, the day's richest race, could well be within the scope of Wahiba Sands, despite the fact that he is only a novice taking on experienced campaigners.

Trained by John Dunlop, Wahiba Sands, a useful horse on the Flat has won two of his three races over hurdles and his latest defeat by Foundry Lane at Wetherby, was largely due to the lack of a decent end-to-end gallop.

Provided tomorrow's race is a truer-run contest, Wahiba Sands can show his worth in the hands of Paul Carberry.

Paul Nicholls has his horses in blinding form and the Somerset trainer can lift the Ladbroke Handicap Chase with nap selection Mr Strong Gale.

Mr Strong Gale will be bidding to win his fourth race off the bounce.

This progressive gelding completed a hat trick of Ludlow victories when beating Even Blue by one and quarter lengths despite making a bad blunder two fences from the finish.

Timmy Murphy has the mount tomorrow.

The opening race at Wincanton, the Georgie Newall Novices' Chase offers Mandy's Mantino a golden opportunity to pick up the threads of his fencing career.

Josh Gifford's exciting charge got off the mark over the larger obstacles with a comfortable success from Chief's Song at Cheltenham in October.

However, the horse has not been seen out since.

At Huntingdon, Sierra Bay can motor to a hat-trick of successes in the Longwood Fen Handicap Chase.

Oliver Sherwood's gelding opened his winning account at Folkestone last month before gaining a decisive 13 lengths victory over Pegmarine over this course and distance.

Having been raised only 7lb for his latest win, Sierra Bay can oblige again.

In the Chatteris Fen Juvenile Novices' Hurdle, Middleham raider Count Tony, a dual-winner for Micky Hammond this season, may be able to cope with a step up in class.

Russ Garritty has the leg-up on Count Tony, a convincing winner of a modest race at Catterick three weeks ago.

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