Hooray for Valley Henry

Paul Nicholls' charge has gathered a large band of admirers in the two races he has contested since joining the Ditcheat trainer after crossing the Irish Sea.

The biggest fan of all is jockey Joe Tizzard who on dismounting after the five-year-old's facile 22 lengths success over Coastguard at Wincanton last month described the gelding as the best horse he has ever ridden.

Rarely can the young jockey have had an easier ride. He had to do no more than shake the reins for Valley Henry to come away from his six rivals.

It was the same story at Chepstow earlier in the month when the ex-Irish point-to-pointer travelled superbly throughout the two-and-a-half miles to record a five-length success over the well-regarded Risk Assessor with Garruth, a winner since, back in third.

The National Hunt Festival at Cheltenham in March beckons for Valley Henry and this step up in grade should prove no problem.

Act In Time is the choice in the Mandarin Handicap Chase.

Tom George's charge looked set for third place when competing in a similar event at Wincanton last month but was badly hampered and unseated Alan Dempsey in the race won by Good Time Melody.

Although he can be a difficult ride Act In Time is weighted to be part of the argument at the business end of this three-mile affair.

Wahiba Sands looks a lay-down bet in the Richard Henderson 30th Birthday Novices' Chase.

Martin Pipe's charge is a high-class hurdler who has yet to strike gold over fences. But he met a top-class opponent in Bacchanal at this venue on Hennessy day and there was no disgrace in second place.

That opponent showed his class by winning Kempton's Feltham Novices' Chase on Boxing Day and Wahiba Sands is not meeting anything of that standard tomorrow.

n Stratford has become tomorrow's first victim of the cold snap.

The jumps meeting, which had been threatened by frost for some time, was called off after an inspection today because of snow.