SILVER Knight, one of the Gazette & Herald's Ten to Follow this season, is fancied to prove himself a Christmas cracker at Wetherby on Boxing Day.

The five-year-old, trained by Tim Easterby, and already a course winner this season, has great prospects of doubling-up if he fulfills an engagement in the Sky Bet Novices' Chase over an extended three miles.

Silver Knight, a former winning hurdler, was switched to the major obstacles this season and made an immediate impact when gaining a wide-margin win on his chasing debut over this course and distance.

A return to Wetherby earlier this month saw him beaten into second place by Our Armageddon, but there was no disgrace in that defeat, at the hands of a prolific winner, and over an inadequate two-and-a-half miles.

Staying is the game for Silver Knight and the Great Habton gelding has every chance of getting back on top in Friday's stamina test.

The feature race on the card is the skybetvegas.com Castleford Chase, a Grade 2 event over two miles and with a record £50,000 up for grabs.

Latalomne, trained by Brian Ellison, is poised to face the starter in this prestigious affair, and if the Norton gelding can recover his best form, he has excellent prospects of hitting the jackpot.

A high-class horse on his day, Latalomne holds the dubious distinction of having hit the deck at the second-last fence in the Queen Mother Champion Chase in each of the last two years when challenging for the lead.

That level of form - albeit without the actual tumbles - would entitle him to the utmost respect on Boxing Day, but on the debit side, it is a long time since he has actually won a race, and his latest efforts have not been too encouraging.

Balance that, however, with the excellent form of the Ellison string and it will take a brave man to leave Latalomne out of the Wetherby equation.

Peter Beaumont is another local trainer with his horses in rude health and the Brandsby handler has a fine chance of making his festivities go with an extra swing, courtesy of Hunters Tweed in the skybet.com Handicap Chase on Boxing Day.

The seven-year-old, a former high-class hurdler, produced a highly creditable display to win on this track earlier in the month, and Beamont immediately nominated a return to Wetherby's Christmas meeting for the smart gelding. He should make a bold bid.

Sky Bet is sponsoring virtually every race over the two-day meeting at Wetherby, including the Rowland Meyrick Chase, which forms the Saturday highlight, and the Harrogate-based firm - one of the leading horseracing and sports betting companies in the UK - have not forgotten the stable-staff.

In every one of their sponsored races, Sky Bet will provide £100 for both the person who looks after the best-turned-out horse, and the winning horse. For that gesture alone, let alone their generous support of the fixture, they deserve plenty of plaudits for not fogetting the hard-working people at the sharp end of this game.

Updated: 09:42 Monday, December 22, 2003