Irish challenger Adamant Approach can hit the jackpot at Ascot tomorrow by landing the £100,000 Ladbroke Handicap Hurdle.

Trained by Willie Mullins - well-known as the handler of top chaser Florida Pearl - Adamant Approach will have the top-class services of Ruby Walsh as he bids to win the inaugural running of this race at Ascot, following a 14-year reign at Leopardstown.

In a wide-open contest, Nap selection Adamant Approach makes plenty of appeal at odds of around 10-1. He has had three races this season, winning at Fairyhouse in the first of them and twice running well in defeat since then.

His latest effort saw him trying to concede more than a stone to True Blue Victory, who beat him by a head in a competitive Fairyhouse handicap.

Mullins rarely brings horses over to Britain without good reason. Adamant Approach is capable of taking tomorrow's prize off a handy weight of just 10st 3lb.

The £50,000 Tote Silver Cup Chase is another of the Ascot feature races and Dusk Duel, from the in-form Nicky Henderson yard, has the look a likely winner.

A high-class novice last season, the gelding finished a creditable third to Wahiba Sands in a hot handicap here on his reappearance last month.

Denied a chance at the Tripleprint Gold Cup when that £100,000 race was lost because of the Cheltenham meeting a fortnight ago being abandoned, Dusk Duel can gain handsome compensation tomorrow.

Prolific winner Tarxien will be a tough nut to crack in the Glenmore Investments Novices' Hurdle, while the in-form Redemption can make it three wins from four starts this season in the Santa Claus Handicap.

At Newcastle, Needwood Spirit is fancied to extend his winning sequence to four in the Tote Exacta Handicap Hurdle.

Richmond trainer Muriel Naughton has done a great job in bringing this six-year-old to the boil and keeping him there.

He is at his peak after a recent purple patch and although Needwood Spirit moves up in class tomorrow I expect him win in the hands of Gerry Supple.

Truckers Tavern will be all the rage with punters in the Scotchills Holsteins Novices' Chase.

Middleham trainer Ferdy Murphy has never attempted to hide his admiration for this lightly-raced six-year-old, a winner over hurdles at Wetherby on his only outing last season.

He was also triumphant on his comeback start at Ayr earlier this month when he gained a convincing win on his chasing debut. An exciting talent, Truckers Tavern should oblige again.

She's All Heart will be seeking quick compensation in the Parklands Golf Course Handicap Hurdle. Len Lungo's eight-year-old unseated her rider early on in her latest start, at Kelso.

Tomorrow's tips:

Ascot

1.00 Tarxien, 1.30 Redemption, 2.00 Dusk Duel, 2.35 Adamant Approach (Nap), 3.10 Seebald, 3.40 Calling Brave.

Newcastle

12.10 She's All Heart, 12.40 Truckers Tavern, 1.10 Man Murphy, 1.45 Mr Frangipani, 2.15 Needwood Spirit, 2.50 What A Wonder, 3.25 Raygale.

Updated: 12:30 Friday, December 21, 2001