Deano's Beeno, runner-up for the last two years, bids to make it third time lucky in the Cantor Index Long Walk Hurdle at Ascot tomorrow.

The £55,000 event is the feature race of this televised meeting, which has been under threat from waterlogging all week.

The good news is that, unless the weather suddenly deteriorates overnight, racing should go ahead as planned, though the ground will, of course, be testing.

When the going is tough, the tough get going - and they don't come much tougher than Deano's Beeno, a dyed-in-the-wool front-runner with the ability to gallop his rivals into submission.

The Martin Pipe-trained gelding underlined his well-being on Hennessy day at Newbury last month when gaining an impressive 17 lengths success over Celtic Native.

He also won the corresponding race last season before coming on to Ascot to finish a gallant second to Anzum in the Long Walk, a position he had likewise filled the previous year.

Tomorrow offers no easy task to go one better, but Deano's Beeno, with his fitness and stamina guaranteed, will expose any flaws in his rivals.

Jockey Tony McCoy, who knows his mount so well, will be taking no prisoners from flag-fall and, in what promises to be a war of attrition over an extended three miles on the testing ground, Deeno's Beano can come out on top.

The £45,000 Tote Silver Cup Handicap Chase shares pride of place as a star attraction on tomorrow's Ascot programme.

In-form trainer Mark Pitman could hold the key to this tricky-looking contest courtesy of Nap selection Smarty, the mount of Timmy Murphy.

Sidelined for the whole of last season, having previously won four of his last five races for Mark's mother, Jenny Pitman, Smarty reappeared in a blaze of glory at Leicester recently.

That nine lengths success from Esperanza 1V left the impression that Smarty was a horse to follow in the weeks and months ahead.

He could well make the most of his light weight tomorrow and prove himself to be a most progressive chaser.

Also worth noting at Ascot is the exciting young hurdler Life Is Life (1.30), while course specialist Get Real (3.05) also makes plenty of appeal in a race he won 12 months ago.

There is a doubt about tomorrow's programme at Uttoxeter, where Channel 4 are due to televise the last three races.

This afternoon's Uttoxeter card was abandoned because the course is waterlogged following heavy rain.

There will be an inspection of the course at 3.30pm this afternoon or tomorrow morning to decide if tomorrow's racing there can go ahead.

If it does, I expect Aspirant Dancer to make a bold bid in the Ladbroke Handicap Hurdle. Aspirant Dancer, a convincing winner at Market Rasen last month, can add to his tally.

Tomorrow's tips

Ascot

1.00 Capitaine Leau, 1.30 Life Is Life, 2.00 Smarty (Nap), 2.35 Deano's Beeno, 3.05 Get Real, 3.35 Valiramix.

Uttoxeter

12.20 Salford, 12.50 Simply Gifted, 1.25 Colonial Rule, 1.55 Suaverof, 2.30 Andy's Birthday, 3.05 Scotmail Lad, 3.40 Aspirant Dancer.

LINGFIELD

11.35 Magelta, 12.05 Level Headed, 12.35 Knock, 1.05 Some Dust, 1.40 Crimson Tide, 2.10 Mutasawwar, 2.45 Ardent, 3.20 Don Bosco.