Olly Murphy's Butch is expected to stamp his class on the Dalston Novices' Chase at Carlisle on Monday.
The eight-year-old won four of his eight starts over hurdles and was second to Botox Has in the Grade Two Rendlesham Hurdle at Haydock exactly a year ago.
With a rating of 141, Butch was a long odds-on favourite for his chasing debut at Leicester in December and pulled 14 lengths clear with the minimum of fuss.
He holds an entry in the Brown Advisory Novices' Chase at the Cheltenham Festival and that Grade One contest, or perhaps a trip to Aintree in the spring, could come into sharper focus if he can defy the mandatory penalty in Cumbria.
Always A Reason is of interest in the Carlisle Conditional Jockeys' Novices' Limited Handicap Hurdle.
The Irish point-to-point winner has not shown a great deal in three starts since joining Rebecca Menzies in truth, but that has allowed him to enter handicap sphere off a lowly mark of 93.
The booking of leading northern conditional Charlie Maggs is notable given he has a 33 per cent strike-rate for Menzies and any market support could prove significant.
The Micky Hammond-trained Geryville has obvious claims in the Book Your Raceday Hospitality Now Handicap Chase.
The nine-year-old bolted up at this track last year and returns on the back of a Wetherby victory in late January.
He is up to a career-high mark of 122, but Hammond has made a good start to February and it will be a surprise if Geryville is not bang there at the finish.
Salt Rock is on a hat-trick in the Grace And Dotty Fedora's And Feathers Handicap Chase at Southwell.
The £205,000 purchase was unfortunate to bump into the likes of Gidleigh Park and Royal Infantry over hurdles and in any case always looked the type to do better once sent chasing.
He is two from two over the larger obstacles, with a narrow verdict at Hereford followed by a more clear-cut success at Doncaster and he remains on an upward curve.
In The Age can make it back-to-back course wins in the Join Southwell Golf Club Open National Hunt Flat Race.
Trainer Dan Skelton went to £100,000 to secure the five-year-old's services at the Cheltenham Festival sale last March after he had won an Irish point-to-point less than a fortnight earlier.
The Saint Des Saints gelding made his bumper debut here in mid-December and while the winning margin was only a length, he gave the impression he had a lot left in the tank. He is difficult to oppose in his bid to follow up.
Layla Liz is rated the best bet on the all-weather at Wolverhampton.
Archie Watson's filly has done very little wrong in three starts so far, with wins at Leicester and Wolverhampton sandwiching a narrow defeat at Dunstall Park.
A drop back from 1200m to 1000m proved right up her street when she hosed up over this course and distance on Boxing Day and despite the burden of top-weight, she will take some pegging back if similarly positive tactics are employed in the Gamble Responsibly At BetMGM Handicap. - Press Association
TAB is betting on 3 UK meetings on Monday. Here are the tips.
CARLISLE: Race 1: 15.20 Always A Reason, Race 2: 15.50 BUTCH (NAP), Race 3: 16.20 Saint Malinas, Race 4: 16.50 Geryville, Race 5: 17.20 Kahavari, Race 6: 17.55 Lady Babs, Race 7: 18.30 Diamond Dice, Race 8: 18.05 Broughshane.
SOUTHWELL: Race 1: 15.35 Ali Star Bert, Race 2: 16.05 Salt Rock, Race 3: 16.35 In The Age, Race 4: 17.05 Absolutely Doyen, Race 5: 17.40 Mokoro, Race 6: 18.15 Our Pink Lady, Race 7: 18.45 Gotthereintheend.
WOLVERHAMPTON: Race 1: 18.25 Fast Society, Race 2: 19.00 Straight A, Race 3: 19.30 Bryant, Race 4: 20.00 Layla Liz, Race 5: 20.30 Enzos Angel, Race 6: 21.00 Neptune Legend, Race 7: 21.30 Due Date, Race 8: 22.00 Angel Of England, Race 9: 22.30 Charlie Mason.
ALL TO COME: Butch (Carlisle, Race 2) and In The Age (Southwell, Race 3).