Cheltenham in March is the ultimate target for Sackville but he should still be hard to beat at Wetherby today.

Frances Crowley's eight-year-old is this country's big hope for the Gold Cup and he puts his credentials on the line in the Peterhouse Group Charlie Hall Chase.

And mightily impressive credentials they are - seven successive victories as a novice last season, with success in a Grade One at Fairyhouse in May thrown in for good measure.

He would have been a leading contender for the Royal & SunAlliance Chase at the Festival had it been held

Sackville is sound jumper who has proved himself over a range of distances and is effective on most types of ground.

He simply did not stop improving and, although he had plenty of racing, did not have a particularly hard race in any of his outings.

Only three of his victories came over three miles or more and he is still fairly unexposed at that trip.

It is a measure of his class that he had the speed to frequently win over shorter although he never encountered a trip quite as short as the two miles he was beaten over on his return at Punchestown last month.

He never really got into contention but was not given at all a hard time and the run will have brought him on a ton.

Newmarket stages its last meeting of the season and the rapidly-improving Bestam should not be missed in the betfair.com Zetland Stakes.

John Dunlop's youngster comes into this contest on a hat-trick after winning with bags in hand under top-weight in a 24-runner nursery at this track last month.

He steps up to 10 furlongs here and his style of racing suggests it is a trip which should present him with no problems.