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THE first round of deciding the champion staying chaser in the land will get underway at Haydock Park at 3.00 with the Grade One Chase over an extended three miles and a furlong.

Current title holder Protektorat has a tremendous record when fresh and even more pertinently after a wind operation. Off-season the son of Saint Des Saints has experienced a third breathing procedure, which is unusual in itself, but obviously seemed imperative to do to his astute trainer.

He jumped beautifully from fence to fence 12 months ago and galloped on relentlessly under Harry Skelton to score by 11 lengths from Eldorado Allen, with Frodon a further seven and a half lengths back in third spot. But the most important fact about that race was that the red hot favourite, A Plus Tard, ran way below par and kind of rendered the race of 2022 one that fell apart around the winner, and even with just the four runners here this could prove a much harder prospect.

BRAVEMANSGAME of course has the benefit of a run under his belt at Wetherby and with the ground drying out at the Merseyside track, I much prefer his claims over the title holder. Conversely Royal Pagaille would prefer a whole lot more give in the ground, but trainer Venetia Williams has played a blinder here by keeping him in the race and thus guaranteeing £21,000 in prize money and possibly more for connections. Grand National winner Corach Rambler is in my mind, merely making up the numbers.

The big betting race of the afternoon is the Serial Winners Stayers Handicap Hurdle due off at 2.20. Of the market leaders I much prefer the claims of Crambo over the prolific winner Slate Lane. The last named, trained by Emmet Mullins, was very keen when landing a hat-trick at Newton Abbot, and will be much better suited to this quicker run race where his high cruising speed will come into play. His astute trainer will have been working back from this point in his campaign, but a 14lbs rise in the weights asks many more questions.

So the each-way vibe has to be on the very well handicapped DUBROVNIK HARRY trained by Harry Fry. Very lightly raced for a seven-year-old — has visited the race track just the eight times under rules — he was an above average novice hurdler, a strong staying third of 17 at Sandown in the EBF Final being his best run.

One outing over fences convinced his handler that the larger obstacles were not for him. Sent back over timber, the selection very much caught the eye at Cheltenham last month bounding up the hill late on to finish a never-nearer six and a quarter lengths fourth of 20 behind the promising and progressive Hyland, and off a mark of just 125 and with a lovely racing weight to boot, there is surely a lot more left in the locker for this unexposed sort.

As far as the rest of the card is concerned I also like the claims of KAMSINAS in the Grade Two Novice Hurdle at 12.05, with probably Bowenspark the biggest danger. At the back end of the programme have a second look at CAP DU NORD at a double figure price in the handicap chase at 3.35. A winner off a mark of 127 last season, he has since raced seven times without success and has dropped to 125, but Ellis Collier’s 7lbs claim makes a massive difference.

The final key to his chance is the ground drying out and with a forecast 48 hours of fair weather, he could well get the conditions he needs to bounce back to form. A fast-run race is also his domain and the make-up of this field suggests that they will not hang around.

Ascot has more than a mere supporting card look to it to Haydock Park and the Grade Two 1965 Chase, like the Grade One Chase, has just the four runners, but they are a select group.

Pic D’Orhy was trounced by Shishkin in the Ascot Chase in February to the tune of some 16 lengths, and you don’t need to be a racing oracle to state that it will be a tough task for the Nicholls charge to reverse the placings.

But he has a great record when fresh and we have yet to see the best of him, especially when he gets the chance to run over three miles. This is merely a stepping stone to the King George VI Chase for Henderson’s charge on Boxing Day, and you suspect the master trainer will have left something to work on for the Sunbury On Thames show piece which makes MINELLA DRAMA a fascinating alternative at a price.

Some seven lengths off Pic D’Orhy in the Marsh Chase at Aintree during Grand National week, he is 7lbs better off here and has already had a race this season when a fair second to Jetoile in the Old Roan at the Liverpool track. If Brian Hughes can dictate from the front here and get the fractions right, I can see him pulling off a famous surprise success.

Also at the Berkshire track, I fancy SALADINS SON to take a step forward and land the novices hurdle at 12.55, while getting plenty of weight from the boys, THEATRE GLORY can turn over Goshen and Sceaux Royal in the valuable Ascot Hurdle at 2.05.