Alan King, Martin Pipe and Nigel Twiston-Davies shared the training honours on the New Year’s Day card at Cheltenham by notching doubles.

Hopefully the weather will relent sufficiently for Haydock Park to stage the Betdirect Peter Marsh Chase next Saturday, a three-mile event which often supplies a high-class winner and has in the past proved a good trial for the top prizes later in the season.

PAT EDDERY makes his first visit of the winter to Wolverhampton today determined to ride the one winner he needs on the last day of the year to give him a 28th domestic century.