TODAY signals the start of the national hunt season swinging into gear at Cheltenham, and also the beginning of the end of the turf flat campaign at Doncaster.

Town Moor has attracted a field of just six for the William Hill Futurity Stakes, with the mighty Aidan O’Brien set to saddle 50 per cent of the field of juveniles. 

Of his three, I actually fancy the outsider, Action, who looked a real slogger-in-the-making when running on late in the Group Two Royal Lodge Stakes at Newmarket last month, when only a length-and-a-half off Bow Echo. 

This galloping mile in deep ground should prove right up his street, and he looks the main danger to the home trained ITEM (2.05).

This beautifully bred son of Frankel has plenty to find with his rivals racing in their first season. But he has ample scope to do so following a maiden win at Kempton, followed up by a smooth success in a novice at Bath. 

The latter race is a long way below the standard needed to win a race of this class, but he looks as though he will relish this deeper ground, and has always been held in high regard by those at Kingsclere. 

A victory in this Group One event would top off a fabulous season for the yard, and I expect some strong support in the ring for him this afternoon.

There are some competitive handicaps on offer at the Town Moor track, none more so than the extended mile-and-a-quarter William Hill Best Odds Guaranteed Handicap at 4.25. 

Savvy Victory would be a huge player here if returning to his old form, but there has been precious little signs of that of late, and I much prefer the claims of fellow double-digit player HAVE SECRET. 

Richard Fahey’s yard have really hit their stride in the final quarter of the season, culminating of course with his 200/1 winner Powerful Glory on the Qipco Champions Sprint.

The selection will have his optimum conditions for the first time since his second to Liberty Coach in November, and is now set to run off the very same mark here. If the son of Havana Gold runs to that level again, then he could have too much in hand of the likes of Alpha Crucis and the three-year-old El Burhan.

GALERON (3.50) looked a handicapper to follow at the beginning of the season with his fine fifth in the William Hill Lincoln Handicap in March. However, in seven runs since then, the five-year-old has not really progressed. 

Still, his best performance since then came over the course and distance last month, and having dropped fully 9lbs in the ratings he looks a very solid each-way play at around the 8/1 marker. 

The prospect of plenty of give in the ground and pace to run at is another plus for the Charlie Hill charge at the main expense of the top weight Valvano and the Ed Walker-trained Ata Rangi.

Further down the card, I shall also be having an each-way pop at RAJAPOUR (5.00). David O’Meara’s French import has in the main struggled on these shores and has looked a short runner over a mile. So the step up to 10 furlongs last time out was a bit of a questionable decision. 

Back down to seven furlongs in the first division of this class four handicap, the top weight looks set to strike, with possibly the very well handicapped Feel The Need the biggest danger.

Division two at 5.30 could well go to CATALYSE, who was a bitter disappointment seven days ago at Catterick when he was given an appalling ride by Oisin Orr, who will be out to make amends here. 

The visor has been applied by Richard Fahey to make sure he wakes up at the start and land only his second career win on his ninth start and his first this season.

Cheltenham hosts the first big Saturday of the national hunt campaign, and many were banking on the ground being very testing with the recent stormy weather. However, Gloucestershire missed the very worst of the rain, and it means we could get genuinely good ground this afternoon.

Such conditions should definitely suit Hyland in the extended three-mile William Hill Best Odds Guaranteed Handicap Chase. But I just wonder whether he will possibly be undercooked following a 203-day break, with bigger targets through the season. 

And he may well be worth taking on with TRANSMISSION (2.20), who has a cracking record when fresh and was campaigned solely at this track last year. 

He was actually slammed by Hyland to the tune of 15 lengths last year in a novice chase and now finds himself 10lbs better off. Like his old advisory, he will love this sounder surface. 

I will also be watching out for a market move for the Thomas Mullins-trained Fascile Mode, second in a listed handicap hurdle at Galway at the height of summer. He tuned up for this valuable prize when beaten four-and-a-half lengths by Riaan at Sligo. Unexposed over this trip, he is rightly feared with the street fighter Ballycamus.

A big field of 18 will go forward for one of the first Pertemps Network Handicap Hurdle qualifiers, and plenty of these will merely have their eye on the final at the track in March. 

However, this is a fair prize in itself to land, and the vote goes to WATCHFUL PROTECTOR (2.55), trained by Emmet Mullins. This lightly raced five-year-old waltzed away with a Tipperary maiden hurdle 19 days ago over two-and-a-half miles, and the dam’s side of his breeding strongly suggests he could and should adore this extra yardage with the drying ground no problem at all. 

The cream on the cake is the booking of Richie McLernan, who looks sure to give this son of Mount Nelson a quiet ride from out the back before making his ground from the top of the hill. If he is fancied by the yard, I expect his odds to contract quite dramatically leading up to this staying contest.

The best bet at Newbury could well be the lightly raced three-year-old KING AL (4.50) in the concluding mile-and-a-quarter handicap, while back over the sticks at Kelso have a second look at bottom weight DUKE OF DECEPTION (3.55) in the feature Edinburgh Gin Handicap Chase.