Champion Trainer Dan Skelton has set himself a searching target for the season ahead, aiming to break Martin Pipe's record of 243 winners in a season. To that end, he has set off at a scorching pace even in these early months of the season, and he continued his relentless pace with a short-priced double at Stratford yesterday.

I say short-priced as gamblers have latched on to him like a drowning man to a life raft. His 55% strike rate makes his runners the nearest thing to a certainty you can find, so little wonder runners are sent off in the main odds-on, the latest pair at 4/9 and 5/6.

On a day where the kaleidoscope of the racing world illustrated its widest appeal, countrymen around Warwickshire eschewed a visit to Berkshire in morning dress for something a little more visceral around the tight track at Luddington Road. Some welcome recent rain had flushed out reasonable fields in all bar two of the races, held on good watered ground, but the paucity of chase runners remains a concern across the summer season at large.

Owner Bryan Drew has enjoyed some good horses down the years, including Bravemansgame, winner of a Charlie Hall. His newcomer Louis Veron has barely put a foot wrong in 4 runs in novice hurdles, with 2 wins and 2 seconds, beaten less than 4l in aggregate. Tuesday saw Harry Skelton continue his upward march, controlling the race from two out and outclassing his 9 rivals to win by 16l in a canter. Expect him to run up a hat-trick.

Also on a hat-trick is handicapper Edelak, who justified favouritism in the 2m Clear Insurance Management Handicap Hurdle to produce Harry Skelton's 41st winner of the term. This was an occasion to ignore the old betting adage of choosing the outsider in a field of three, as the 4 year old cast-off from the Aga Khan overcame Machete Beach, winner here at the end of last month, with consummate ease to win by 28l, aka a distance. 10 year old Hooper, the old man off the threesome, ran on to be second for the Twiston-Davies yard under Amber Jackson-Fennell.

Alistair Ralph has been a name to follow amid the grass roots fixtures of the last few years, and his growing reputation merits some better horses. Denied a winner in the opener by a Skelton hotpot, he nevertheless achieved his own moment in the spotlight - somewhat muted because of the focus on Ascot - when In The Air ran out a half length winner of the Karen Poulter Handicap Chase over 2m 1f. It was a satisfactory day at the office, with a second and third from three runners.

It's hard to believe that young Brendan Powell is now in his 17th season as a professional rider. Turnover in riders is high through injury or inability to make it worthwhile. Powell is among the top flight making a decent living from the sport, his most recent seasons earning his owners over £1m per annum.

The Saturday winners that are necessary toward a total like that don't much figure in Summer jumping fare, but riding for as broad a range of trainers as possible is an essential ingredient of a successful jockey's career, unless you are retained by a powerful yard like Skelton or Henderson. This is typified by yesterday's Sean Lycett's Mayday Games, a ready 7l winner of the novices handicap hurdle for Sean Lycett, whose sparing Jumps runners this month are running at a 33% strike rate.

Small fields punctuated the final two races, not drawing double figures between them. Sean Bowen made good on his only ride of the day in the five runner 2m 6f handicap chase on Tamarind Bay for brother Mickey. The champion rider is having to play second fiddle to Harry Skelton, but with 34 winners in the bag already, he's well placed to capitalize when the autumn arrives and Skelton's relentless pace comes up against sterner opposition.

Conditional Luke Scott drew one step closer to losing his claim altogether in the finale, a handicap hurdle for conditionals. He's just 13 away from fledging fully as a professional, and riding for Jennie Candlish's Staffordshire yard has been integral to that success. The relationship continued here with Saint Polo, who led throughout and fought off his rivals before the last to close out a 7l winner.