Well Chief in charge

Martin Pipe (pictured) and principal owner David Johnson will be sorting out their Cheltenham candidates over the next few weeks and Well Chief can give them food for thought by winning the Orchard Restaurant Novices’ Chase at Taunton tomorrow.

Beaten by a head when second in last season’s JCB Triumph Hurdle, Well Chief won a Grade Two race over timber at Wincanton in November and has entries in both the Smurfit Champion Hurdle and the Irish Independent Arkle Chase.

He would not be out of place in such an open-looking race for the hurdling championship, but a horse of this class is going to make his mark over the bigger obstacles too and he is expected to start out in the best possible manner.

Fall In Line looks a good thing to win for the fourth time in eight days by lifting the Bet Direct Football Cashbacks Handicap at Southwell.

He has already scored at all three all-weather tracks and won by an aggregate of 23 lengths.

The four-year-old’s winning run began at Wolverhampton last Monday when he slammed Nakwa by eight lengths. After winning by a similar distance from Night Warrior over a mile and a half here last Thursday, the Linamix gelding overcame Easter Ogil by seven lengths at Lingfield on Saturday.

His trainer Mark Prescott is obviously striking while the iron is hot and before the handicapper has the chance to get to grips with Fall In Line.

A 6lb penalty is unlikely to halt his winning run.

Scotty’s Future, who holds an entry in the Freephone Stanleybet Lincoln, can return to winning ways on taking a big drop in class in the betdirect.co.uk Selling Stakes at Lingfield.

The six-year-old has not been successful since taking the Victoria Cup at Ascot in May 2002 when under the care of David Nicholls but he has hinted that he has not lost too much of his ability.

Trainer David Loder has few runners in sellers so it is significant that he has opted to run Scotty’s Future in this Class H event.

Khuzdar, runner-up to Misty Man in a seller at Wolverhampton two weeks ago, can go one better in the Bet Direct No Q On 08000 93 66 93 Banded Stakes.

Alan Bailey’s charge was beaten one and three-quarter lengths in a Class G at Dunstall Park and has slightly less to do in this Class H contest.