MIRACLE Island can spring a real surprise in the Evening Standard Hurdle at Newbury tomorrow.

Karl Burke's charge went right off the boil at the end of last season but may be best caught fresh and is handicapped to go close on the pick of his form over timber.

Arguably his best effort came in February when he bolted up from eight rivals in soft ground and he runs here off a mark just 4lb higher - which looks more than fair given the nature of that 14-length success from Skram.

The five-year-old has been off the track since May but a similar absence failed to prevent his scoring on his seasonal debut at Worcester last year.

Immaterial can make a winning debut in the John Delia Memorial Juvenile Novices' Hurdle.

The son of Barathea runs in the famous jumping colours of Bill and Shirley Robins and has the pedigree to go well, being a rather expensively-bred half-brother to two winning hurdlers.

Trainer Nicky Henderson excels with this sort of performer and he can continue the stable's fine start to the season.

Moral Support looked half-decent when winning on his British debut at Kempton last week and, under just a 6lb penalty, must go close again in the Brad's Autobiography - 'The Wayward Lad' Novices' Handicap Chase.

He is rated on some average form in Ireland from seasons past but Charlie Mann certainly seemed to have found some improvement at Kempton and the handicapper's assessment could prove to be out of line.

Another Irish import, Truckers Tavern, made an exceptionally impressive British debut at Wetherby at the end of last month and should be followed.

Many of the crowd on Charlie Hall Chase day had already left the course to avoid the mudbath by the time Ferdy Murphy's charge lined up in the novice hurdle.

But those who stayed could not have failed to have been impressed by hisefforts as he slammed stablemate Supreme Breeze by 22 lengths.

Connections had to go to 50,000 guineas to secure him at the sales in Mayafter winning three point-to-points in his native land but that appeared to be money well spent at Wetherby and the five-year-old can keep up the good work in the Scotdisc Interactive Postcards Novices' Hurdle at Kelso.

Murphy could well have a highly-successful afternoon at the Borders track with recent well-backed Kelso winner Bit O Magic looking good for a follow-up in the Dixon Heaney Handicap Hurdle.