THE National Hunt season is now back up to speed and in full swing.

Champion jockey Tony McCoy notched up his 100th winner of the season and says he wants another 100 winners by April.

He is already 24 winners clear of nearest rival Richard Johnson.

There are a couple of horses I think should be followed this season.

Alan King's Medermit was very impressive when winning first time out over fences at Aintree.

I was also taken with Colin Tizzard's Cheltenham Festival Bumper winner Cue Card. This horse looks destined for the top novice hurdle races after winning effortlessly at Aintree on Sunday.

One jockey who will no longer be gracing our racecourses is 37-year-old Philip Hide, who has decided to call it a day.

Philip's riding career spanned 20 years and he rode 400 winners. He intends to concentrate on his role as assistant trainer to Gary Moore.

The famous pink and purple silks of Sir Robert Ogden could soon fade from our National Hunt tracks.

Ogden's racing manager Barry Simpson has announced that the jumping side of the operation is going to end. They have decided to stop buying potential chasers and hurdlers and concentrate on yearlings instead. Sir Robert's colours have been carried by some real stars such as See More Business, Voy Por Ustedes, Exotic Dancer and Marlborough.

This year's Derby and L'Arc de Triomphe winner Workforce has been given the go ahead to run in the Breeder's Cup Turf at Churchill Downs, Kentucky, on November 6 after doing an impressive piece of work at Newmarket over the weekend.

On Saturday, the John Smiths Yorkshire Hurdle will be run at Wetherby over three miles and a furlong.

Picture This, trained by Paul Nicholls, was second last time out over fences but will be hard to beat back over hurdles.

I also fancy an Evan Williams horse called Fiulin to go in at Ascot in a 2m novice hurdle.