Town Crier can drown out his rivals at Cheltenham tomorrow by scoring a notable Yorkshire victory in the £110,000 Victor Chandler Handicap Chase.

Trained near Bingley by Sue Smith and her husband Harvey, the classy gelding has always threatened to win a major race and this looks a great opportunity for him to hit the heights.

Town Crier has won his last two starts, a chase at Newbury and a hurdles event earlier this month at Wetherby, where he absolutely hacked-up, proving his well-being and booking his place in this line-up.

Smith will also be represented by Mister McGoldrick, her Wetherby specialist, who won the Castleford Chase for the second successive year at the Christmas meeting. But his hard race over hurdles last Saturday to finish second at Haydock may count against him, which is why I prefer Town Crier on this occasion.

The Byrne Bros Cleeve Hurdle brings together a host of high-class horses, the pick of which may be Mighty Man.

A course winner, Mighty Man had to play a supporting role to the enterprisingly ridden The French Furze here last time, but tomorrow's extra half-mile should bring out more improvement in him and he is napped to resume winning ways, despite the presence of such as No Refuge and Attorney General.

The £80,000 Letheby & Christopher Chase has been chosen by Martin Pipe as the starting point to the season for Celestial Gold.

This Gold Cup hope, a course and distance winner and a high class performer on his day, will need to acquit himself well to enhance his chances in the Blue Riband of steeplechasing in March.

The £60,000 Sky Bet Chase - better known in its previous guise as the Great Yorkshire Chase - is the feature race at Southwell, which is staging this fixture while Doncaster is being refurbished.

Colourful Life won this race last year on Town Moor. This time it could be the turn of King Harald to rule the roost.

A Cheltenham Festival winner last season, Mark Bradstock's talented charge was a very creditable fourth back at Cheltenham on his comeback outing this term before coming to grief in the Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup next time out. He still has to prove himself in current form, but he is too good a horse to dismiss easily.

Saturday's tips

Cheltenham

(precautionary inspection at 7am because of possible threat of frost)

1.00 Denman, 1.35 Copsale Lad, 2.10 Town Crier, 2.45 Mighty Man (Nap), 3.20 Celestial Gold, 3.55 Fondmort, 4.30 Afsoun.

Southwell

1.20 Roman Ark, 1.50 Super Nomad, 2.25 King Harald, 3.00 Pay Attention, 3.35 Sunday City, 4.05 Alfie Flits.

Lingfield

12.35 Zorooni, 12.55 River Gypsy, 1.30 Art Elegant, 2.05 Red Romeo, 2.35 Farewell Gift, 3.10 Willhego, 3.45 Holiday Cocktail, 4.20 Whitbarrow.

Tomorrow's other meetings are at Chepstow (NH - precautionary inspection at 8am) and Wolverhampton (Flat).

Updated: 12:04 Friday, January 27, 2006