THE National Hunt season really kicks into gear today with big meetings at Ascot and Wetherby and Wholestone (nb) can keep the Nigel Twiston-Davies bandwagon rolling by landing the West Yorkshire Hurdle at 2.40.

This six-year-old kept the highest company as a novice and should be more streetwise this season. His opening fourth place of the current campaign behind Court Minstrel in the Silver Trophy at Chepstow over an insufficient two-and-a-half miles should have set him up nicely for this and I expect him to prove too good for the evergreen Ptit Zig and Lil Rockerfeller.

The following Charlie Hall Chase at 3.15 sees Cue Card return to the fray against Coneygree, but both veteran charges are vulnerable with another year on their backs and I fancy Definitly Red will have their measure especially with more rain forecast.