Charlie Swan, Ireland's former champion jump jockey, whose name will forever be associated with multiple Champion Hurdle winner Istabraq, can stage a successful raid as a trainer at Haydock tomorrow by landing the feature race.

Swan saddles What A Native in the £125,000 Red Square Vodka Gold Cup and David Casey's vastly-improved mount is fancied to steal the show in a race traditionally recognised as a valuable Grand National trial.

What A Native has improved by leaps and bounds this season. After getting off the mark at Thurles in November, he has added a further three wins to his sequence, the latest being at Leopardstown last month.

Proven in the mud and clearly at the top of the game, What A Native has the right credentials to provide Swan with a major training success.

Eurotrek and Ebony Light, last month's shock course winner, are among the dangers to the Irish raider.

Haydock's card starts with the Brit Insurance Prestige Novices' Hurdle, in which Nap selection Neptune Collonges makes plenty of appeal.

Paul Nicholls's French recruit is developing into a high-class recruit and won as he pleased in a Grade 2 race at Wetherby last time, having previously chased home the very smart My Way de Solzen in the Long Walk Hurdle at Chepstow.

The surprise defection of Kauto Star from the £40,000 Levy Board Game Spirit Chase at Lingfield, a race rescheduled from last Saturday's abandoned Newbury card, leaves the way open for Mister McGoldrick to grab this valuable prize.

Sue Smith's Yorkshire raider is enjoying a wonderful campaign and has run two excellent races in defeat since winning the Castleford Chase at Wetherby's Christmas meeting for the second successive year. With only three rivals tomorrow, Mister McGoldrick will surely be hard to beat.

Saturday's tips:

Haydock

12.40 Neptune Collonges (Nap), 1.10 Hidden Bounty, 1.40 What A Native, 2.15 Bold Fire, 2.50 Another Native, 3.25 Bleu Superbe, 4.00 Master Wells.

Lingfield

12.55 The Listener, 1.25 Fondmort, 2.00 Snakebite, 2.30 Queen's Dancer, 3.05 Mister McGoldrick, 3.40 Motcombe, 4.10 Supreme Piper, 4.40 Dubai Sunday.

Wincanton

TV races: 2.10 Nice Try, 2.45 Gungadu, 3.20 Natal, 3.55 See You Sometime.

Tomorrow's other race meetings are at Uttoxeter and Wolverhampton.

Updated: 12:30 Friday, February 17, 2006