RUSSE BLANC'S form figures are not particularly encouraging but there could be some reason to anticipate an upgrade in fortune at Carlisle.

The striking 10-year-old has found life challenging since he won a Grade Three Classic at Warwick last January – but he is back at a reasonable mark and also has winning course form to his name.

Russe Blanc did not run too badly in his quest for a Classic Chase double last month, when a bad error at the 10th fence ended any chance of finishing in the money.

Carlisle's closing three-and-a-quarter-mile handicap chase looks considerably easier for today's nap selection, which has Brian Hughes in the saddle.

THE HERDS GARDEN can exorcise painful memories from Newcastle last month as he reverts to the smaller obstacles in the preceding two-mile-one-furlong handicap hurdle.

Donald McCain's eight-year-old had appeared pretty exposed after 13 previous starts over fences but he looked set fair to finally do the business at Gosforth Park.

Yet it all went wrong two out as The Herds Garden made a bad mistake and ditched today's jockey Will Kennedy onto the floor.

That was nonetheless much more like it and although the assessor has been a bit mean by raising him 4lb, he seems to be coming to hand.

QUERRY HORSE can provide Oliver Sherwood with a nice winner at Ludlow.

The five-year-old won over hurdles at Market Rasen last spring but he always had the look of an embryonic chaser.

That certainly appeared to be the case at Doncaster on January 9 when he cashed in on Cyrius Moriviere having unseated his rider to claim success in a novice chase over two miles and three furlongs.

Querry Horse appears to have less on his plate in Shropshire and should be good enough to make short shrift of his rivals in the Downton Novices' Chase. This longer trip also looks made to measure with Jack Sherwood on board.

MISE EN ROSE can blossom when she is sent in to battle for a fast-track qualifier at Chelmsford.

Trainer Charlie Appleby will be keen to send this filly to All-Weather Championships Finals Day at Lingfield on Good Friday.

She must, however, step up considerably on her run at Lingfield in November, when she only beat one horse home in a Listed race over a mile.

Mise En Rose was probably always up against it from well off the pace that day – but it was somewhat disconcerting to see her hang so alarmingly along the home straight.

Be that as it may, the four-year-old daughter of War Front is a much better horse than that performance would suggest and she can illustrate the point at the Essex venue.

Mise En Rose is the joint-highest-rated runner in this field, yet she races on level terms with most of the opposition – and even gets weight off the top horse, Ashadihan.

She also has winning form at Chelmsford, having eased nearly three lengths clear in a one-mile handicap last May.

Mise En Rose reverts to seven furlongs, a distance over which she has won twice, for this latest examination, with jockey William Buick likely to be more prominent than he was at Lingfield a few months ago.

These factors combined make her an appealing prospect in an open race.

Keep close tabs on BRACKEN BRAE in the two-mile handicap earlier on the card.

One slight blip at Kempton aside, the five-year-old mare has been on good terms with herself, having nicely claimed a third Chelmsford success in November.

She now gets the chance to rubber-stamp her aptitude for a marathon trip after she was cruelly denied victory by a nose over this course and distance on January 5.

Bracken Brae has only gone up 1lb and she should get the job done under Stevie Donohoe in what is not as good a race.

There is not much to warm the cockles on the all-weather at Kempton's evening meeting but it could be quite interesting to see how MASTERFILLY gets on over a mile and a half in the concluding handicap.