DESPITE all the amazing equine action over the Christmas period, the top-class races keep on coming as we go into the final stretch to greet 2023 and the young staying hurdlers take pride of place in the Challow Hurdle at Newbury due off at 3.00 this afternoon.

The Paul Nicholls-trained Hermes Allen is sure to start a short-priced favourite following his two impressive timber topping wins at Stratford and Cheltenham.

I thought the latter race rather fell apart in the closing stages, and around 5/4, he feels a tad too short when you also bear in mind that with the forecast rains this will be the deepest ground he is likely to have encountered in his short career to date.

Of course, the son of Poliglote is open to even more improvement, but there is much better value further down the list with a set of 14 novices set to go to post.

Likely second favourite Joyeux Machin was an impressive winner at Fairyhouse last time out and looks sure to appreciate this step up to two and a half mile, while Attacca is two from two for Nicky Henderson, but may be much better on a sounder surface based on the evidence we have to hand.

That leads me to the underrated and thoroughly unexposed Nigel Twiston-Davies charge IDALKO BIHOUE.

A lovely scopey individual that the trainer loves to deal with, the son of Balko will probably only realise his full potential when he goes chasing, but I was really taken by his Worcester success at the end of October when he saw off his 11 rivals by 14 lengths and more. 

Twiston-Davies has not let him off the leash since then, in order to give him time to mature and strengthen up further, and although this is a tough ask for a four-year-old at around 20/1 he could very well be the each-way call.

The big handicap on the card is the Coral Mandarin Chase at 2.25 with the weights headed by stable mate of our Challow selection, Undersupervision.

He, too, has his best days ahead of him, but may just struggle to give the weight away to the lightly raced SHANTY ALLEY.

This eight-year-old is two from 15 over fences, but has only raced four times in the past 13 months, pulled up on two occasions and unseating his rider once.

However, following a break of 265 days, dropped to a handicap mark of 125 and undergone a second wind operation, he showed that all the old ability remained when a cracking staying on second to Burrows Diamond at Wetherby earlier in the month.

That form looks solid, so a 5lbs looks very fair in the circumstances and another step forward should see the selection involved here on ground he should relish, a remark that may not apply to several of the market leaders.

As far as the rest of the card is concerned, MIDNIGHT GINGER has very solid claims in the opening mares handicap at 12.10, while DOCTOR KEN may deny Tea For Free a four timer in the finale at 3.35.

There are some nice prizes up for grabs on the all-weather at Lingfield Park, with the class three one-mile handicap at 2.40 the feature event.

Top weight Sunset Bay has been plying his trade in mainly Listed and lower group level over the past 18 months and if ready to rumble could make his presence felt off a mark of 87.

However, bottom weight WADACRE GRACE could be the best alternative in receipt of 19lbs. The selection ran way too freely last time out at Southwell, but still managed to get to within a length-and-a-half of Miss Britain three weeks ago.

PIFFLE is taken to defy top weight in the six furlong finale at 3.15. The three-year-old daughter of Camacho was just behind the aforementioned Wadacre Grace at Southwell and this looks a much more suitable task giving weight away to inferior horses down in grade.

I have been waiting for KATEIRA to step up in distance after watching her hose up in a Uttoxeter mares novice event by a full seven and a half lengths.

Being a daughter of Kayf Tara, she should relish the extra yardage and more, in time, and may be able to see off the likes of Presenting A Queen and Victorias Gift in the Warwick 12.25.

Later on at the Midlands track, the Veterans Handicap Chase at 2.10 looks wide open, but I fancy a huge run from MIDNIGHT MOSS.

Very lightly raced for a 10-year-old, just the 13 races under rules, he had a nice warm-up for this when just over four lengths off Rocky’s Treasure first time out.

With that run under his belt, the selection should be a tight fit to put his eight rivals to the sword over the stiff jumping testing on soft ground.

There is a fair card at Punchestown this afternoon, with the grade B handicap hurdle over two and a half miles at 2.32 the main betting race on offer.

Course and distance winner Captain Conby goes to post in good form and will benefit from the likely end-to-end gallop here, but in receipt of a massive 19lbs, Galway winner, HGRANCA DE THAIX could be the call.

That was only the eighth run of his career and despite a significant hike in the weights, this big field and fast-run race looks the perfect set-up for this son of Saddler Maker.

Of the other races at the track, I think we should get a cracking run for our money in the three-mile handicap chase at 12.47 where the each-way play could be WA WA, who badly outpaced over two-and-a-quarter-miles.

The assessor has given the seven-year-old son of Yeats a massive each-way chance by dropping him to a mark of 123.