Racing: Noelie fresh for his fight to join roll of honour

If the forecasters are right, this afternoon's sport will be played out in the cold, wet conditions that are sometimes mystifyingly referred to as good jumping weather. But whatever your meteorological preferences, there is no doubt that today's cards will serve up some good jumping. As the last rites of the mainstream Flat season move towards their final stages at Newmarket, the road to Cheltenham and Aintree starts in earnest at Wetherby and Ascot.

Those in action over obstacles in West Yorkshire include some of the best long-distance handicap chasers in training, to wit the winners of a Grand National (Bindaree), a Hennessy Gold Cup (What's Up Boys), a Whitbread Gold Cup (Ad Hoc), a Scottish National (Gingembre), a substitute Gold Cup winner (Marlborough) and last season's best staying novice (Hussard Collonges). The breeze you feel may not be an autumn wind blowing the remaining leaves from the trees, but followers of the winter game breathing a collective sigh of relief.

The Charlie Hall Chase, over three miles and a furlong, is generally a harbinger of the good things to come. In the past 20 years its winners have included Wayward Lad, Barton Bank, One Man, See More Business (all twice), Burrough Hill Lad, Forgive 'N Forget, Cybrandian, Young Hustler and Durham Edition, all of them proper horses.

Those on the list of current star performers do not include Lord Noelie, who contests today's edition of the Grade Two contest. To call the nine-year-old an underachiever is hardly just, but he has not won a race since capping his time as a novice with a defeat of Alexander Banquet in the Royal & SunAlliance Chase two Cheltenhams ago. But again in fairness to Henrietta Knight's handsome charge, he has raced only eight times since, thrice in the following 2000-01 campaign and five times last season.

His excuses for non-appearance and defeat are varied and valid: coughing in his yard, a slipped saddle, a broken blood vessel, trouble with a hock and unsuitable soft ground. He is a horse with bags of class but also physical limitations and lessons have been learnt: bogs and undulating tracks like Cheltenham are now off-limits and Aintree's Martell Cup has replaced the Gold Cup as his spring target.

His best performances last term came early on. In this race he was travelling notably well before clipping the top of the third-last and then followed that with a cracking run when fourth in the Hennessy Gold Cup, beaten just two and a half lengths and giving 16lb to the winner, What's Up Boys, who must himself concede 6lb today.

"I think that took quite a lot out of him and he didn't sparkle in the spring," said Knight, "but he has summered extremely well and we hope there is not a repeat of him breaking a blood vessel, like he did at Liverpool. He's a better horse when he's fresh and may be better on a flatter course. He was running well in the Charlie Hall when he fell, but your guess is as good as mine as to whether he would have won." The hazard is yes, and the opportunity may be there for Lord Noelie (2.15) to demonstrate his innate ability against rivals who may appreciate more of a stamina test.

Bindaree makes his return to action over the same distance as his Aintree victim, What's Up Boys, but faces the smaller obstacles of the Grade Two hurdle on the card. He is accompanied to post by another high-class chaser on a warm-up mission, Ad Hoc, and both may give best to specialist timber-toppers. Boss Doyle is going for a three-timer in the race but Stromness (3.20), who ended his novice season with a Grade One victory at Aintree, can strike a blow for emerging youth. So can his Alan King stablemate D'ARGENT (2.50 nap) in the two-and-a-half-mile handicap hurdle.

At Ascot Infrasonique (1.50) should reap the benefit of his seasonal debut over an inadequate trip at Wetherby, Brooklyn's Gold (1.20) can confirm the impression he made two weeks ago at Hereford and Tosheroon (2.55) still looks on a good mark.

Those who insist on backing Flat horses until the last possible moment have plenty to choose from on the last day of the Newmarket season.

Unshakable (3.40) may be the pick of the 27 who go to post for the mile handicap; Allergy (1.55), proven on the ground and defeater of Racing Post Trophy third Illustrator, can thwart Mark Johnston's three-pronged attempt on a fourth Zetland Stakes; and all the local dogs have been barking – or should that be cats have been mewing – the name Lynx (12.25).