MALCOLM JEFFERSON expects According To Pete to go close on a track he enjoys in tomorrow’s Peter Marsh Chase at Haydock.

The nine-year-old has run well at Haydock, winning on the Flat and over hurdles.

He was among the 12 declared entries for tomorrow’s Grade Two contest. With John Smith’s Grand National hero Mon Mome and last year’s Peter Marsh Chase winner Cloudy Lane topping the weights on 11st10lb, According To Pete runs off just 10st5lb tomorrow.

According to Pete has finished fifth in two chases at Cheltenham so far this season and Jefferson is hoping both his love the track and the low weight can help him land victory.

Jefferson said: “He’ll run as long as racing goes ahead and we were happy enough with his last run at Cheltenham.

“We went there thinking he had a right chance stepping up in trip but he just ran a similar race to what he did over the shorter distance the time before. It wasn’t a bad run and those races are just very competitive.

“We know he likes Haydock and he’ll handle the heavy ground all right. It helps that Mon Mome is running and our horse has been dropped a few pounds as well, so it looks as though he has a nice handy weight. He’s in the Great Yorkshire at Doncaster next week as well but he wasn’t guaranteed to get in and you never know what will happen with the weather.”

Haydock clerk of the course Kirkland Tellwright is confident the meeting will go ahead despite conditions being heavy and more rain forecast. He said yesterday: “We’ve had no rain so far but we are forecast some for tonight. We could get between 10 and 15 millimetres, which would obviously ease the ground a bit, but I don’t think it would cause us any problems.”

TODAY’S NAP: Hard Ball (7.35pm Wolverhampton).