Brennan partners Yorkshire icon

The Sue Smith-trained 13-year-old, pictured, has 10 rivals to overcome in the Sportingbet .com Veterans' Handicap Chase. The track also needs to pass an 8am inspection because of the threat of overnight snow.

Yet, in many respects, Mister McGoldrick's defiance of his age – a characteristic also demonstrated by the locally-owned Monkerhostin – has been one of the stories of this vintage National Hunt season.

Despite being burdened by huge weights, he has finished third in two handicaps at Cheltenham this year, helped in no small part by his exuberant jumping and his love of the course where he won the Racing Post Plate at the National Hunt Festival two years ago.

Cheltenham is, once again, the target for this mercurial horse, named by owner Richard Longley in honour of the distinguished Leeds heart surgeon Joe McGoldrick.

But with today's race over three miles – a distance that will test Mister McGoldrick's stamina to the limit – connections have replaced Shane Byrne, the promising conditional rider who has ridden the horse recently, with the experienced Paddy Brennan.

Rather than set the pace, they hope Brennan can nurse the horse round the track and conserve reserves of energy for the long home straight where sound jumping will be key.

This is a race rich with quality. Other old stagers taking to the start include David Pipe's Tamarinbleu, who was second in Wetherby's Charlie Hall Chase last October; Keith Reveley's one-time Grand National hope Rambling Minster and Brooklyn Brownie from the Malcolm Jefferson yard.

The class horse, however, appears to be Nicky Henderson's injury-plagued Trabolgan, one of the country's finest chasers when sound. With stable jockey Barry Geraghty flying over from Ireland for the ride, he appears to be the one to beat.

CHANGE seems to be the buzz word in racing these days and change was definitely in the air at Pontefract yesterday when Norman Gundill, managing director of the West Yorkshire course, outlined plans for the forthcoming Flat season, writes Bill Bridge.

The Gundill family have been solicitors in Pontefract for three generations and the racecourse company has been run from their offices in Ropergate since 1937 but from the 2010 season onwards the organisation will be based at the course in a new office suite which has been completed at a cost of 150,000.

"I retired from the practice in September but have no intention of ceasing to run the racecourse in the foreseeable future," said Gundill. "But, as a result of my retirement, we have moved all the administration to the course."

Another change at Pontefract sees the departure as chairman of Simon Scrope, who joined the board in July, 1995 and took the chair the following year. The Countess of Halifax, who stepped down as a steward at the course last year after serving since 1982, is to take the chair.

Gundill said of the change: "I shall be sorry to lose Simon. He has been an ideal chairman and we have worked together so well but I am looking forward to working with Lady Halifax."

Lady Halifax commented: "I was delighted to be asked to succeed Simon, who will be a hard act to follow. Having stewarded at Pontefract for 27 years, I am thrilled to continue my involvement."

But not everything will be changing at Pontefract in time for the first meeting of the 16-day season on April 13 with the cost of annual badges, general admission prices and charges for private facilities all being frozen at last year's levels.

Last season was hit by poor weather but the Fathers' Day meeting attracted 11,118 race-goers, the largest Sunday attendance at the course since 2004.

York have confirmed that finalists from ITV's X Factor will be the headline act on the Saturday of their Music Showcase Weekend, July 24. With that day's racing carrying prize-money over 200,000, the racecourse are anticipating a repeat of last year's success when over 36,000 gathered on the Knavesmire.

Francois Doumen is set to be an absentee from this year's Cheltenham Festival as he lacks the equine firepower.

The Frenchman has enjoyed unprecedented success at the world's greatest jumps meeting, winning the Gold Cup, the Triumph Hurdle and the Ladbrokes World Hurdle over the years.

"I'm afraid you can't just replace horses like Baracouda, The Fellow and First Gold," said Doumen.

"I'm not sure I will have anything this year. I think Spunk is going to be a good horse but it would be asking too much for him to run at Cheltenham," he added.