So complete is Cheltenham's trials day on Saturday that any one of four races would showcase a regular card. Few trainers will be as involved as Alan King, whose six runners all have designs on championship events at the Festival in March.

Indeed, the Barbury Castle trainer expects to be double-handed in three races in an effort to discover the worth of some lightly raced horses. Itsa Legend, a fine third at last year's Festival, will almost certainly join Blazing Bailey in the Byrne Group Cleeve Hurdle over three miles.

“It's a very hot race,” King said. “I was very impressed with Inglis Drever at Newbury last time - perhaps our best hope is if that horse is snowed in at home.” Also in the mix is Wichita Lineman, who mastered Itsa Legend in March but could not cope with Blazing Bailey at the course last month.

Blazing Bailey received little credit for that performance, which signalled a return to form. “It doesn't worry me if my horses get the credit or not,” King said. “It was just good to see him back. He is in great form, but Inglis Drever will take some beating.”

Howard Johnson, who trains Inglis Drever, would doubtless say the same about the King-trained Franchoek in the Wragge & Co Juvenile Novices' Hurdle. A worthy favourite for the Triumph Hurdle, Franchoek must overturn a recent course-and-distance defeat by Harper Valley.

Trained by Gordon Elliott in Ireland, Harper Valley will be washed down after the race, dried and groomed, then presented for sale at the Brightwells auction that same evening. His value would rise significantly in the event of victory, although King has other ideas.

“We are better off at the weights this time,” he said, “but I think the important thing is that Franchoek will have his [favoured soft] ground. It was proper good ground last time. He could never get them on the stretch, as he likes to, but it was still a good run.” King also runs Squadron in a race that will redefine the Triumph market.

Evelith Echo and Shipmaster complete King's Cheltenham hand in the Ballymore Properties Novices' Hurdle. On a busy day for the stable, Theatre Girl opposes Chomba Womba in the mares' hurdle at Doncaster, where Yardbird tackles the Skybet Chase.

King had no luck with his runners at Huntingdon on Wednesday. Apart from Timmy Murphy, who was twice buried in falls without repercussion, King joined many who were just glad to be racing after the recent spate of abandonments. Unfortunately, however, that experience was not shared by racegoers at Warwick on September 6 last year.

On that day the Flat card was abandoned after two races when patches of false ground were found within the official going report of good to firm. The inconsistency arose after the track was watered earlier in the day.

A British Horseracing Authority (BHA) disciplinary hearing has concluded that the Warwick executive presented a surface that was unfit for racing. The Midlands venue can now expect a fine in line with the £2,500 standard penalty for such breaches.

But the story does not end there. The BHA's findings are likely to trigger compensation claims from owners whose horses travelled to Warwick but were denied a run. Fiona Needham, clerk of the course, would not comment on the outcome yesterday.

Needham was involved in another controversy last month when she called a late abandonment at Huntingdon, where she is also clerk of the course. While Needham retains the faith of her employers, she must now regain the confidence of racing professionals. She is not helped by clerking at two venues, 70 miles apart, that often race on consecutive days.