THE best two hunter chasers in the land are set for a Haydock Park showdown on Saturday.

The veteran chasers Last Option and Torduff Express cleaned up between them at the Aintree and Cheltenham Festivals last season.

Now the "decider" is the Walrus Hunters' Chase over two and three quarter miles.

The race could also see the return to Haydock of grand old campaigners like 13-year-olds Macgeorge and Step On Eyre.

Saturday's racing also features the final of the Red Square Vodka 'Fixed Brush' Novices' Hurdles Series.

It's the second year that the series of races over French style or 'brush' hurdles has been run at Haydock Park.

The hurdles - in reality more like mini fences - are designed to educate young horses that are going on to become steeplechasers.

The final has attracted a 36-strong entry and up to 11 of the horses could be trying to take home a bonus of £10,000, in addition to the prize fund of £20,000, having been placed in one of the qualifying races since the autumn.

Simply Supreme is going for a hat trick, having won two of the qualifiers. Trained by Sue Smith in Yorkshire, the horse is related to Haydock Park favourite The Last Fling, for whom a memorial race was staged in December at the racecourse.

The Haydock card also features the Pertemps Handicap Hurdle Qualifier for which the final is held at Cheltenham.

More details about racing at Haydock are available on the course web site www.haydock-park.com