BUYWISE'S demons can finally be exorcised on one of the biggest National Hunt stages of the autumn, the Paddy Power Gold Cup at Cheltenham.

Evan Williams' perpetual head-scratcher seems to always arrive on a racecourse with questions to answer, as those who have followed him over fences will solemnly testify.

But few would dare suggest he is not good enough to win a race like this, and now might be the time he becomes a man.

It is a big 'if', of course, as his fencing has hitherto been slipshod when it really matters.

One only needs to watch a rerun of last season's Paddy Power to be reminded of that fact, as he jumped scruffily yet was still only beaten three and a quarter lengths by Caid Du Berlais.

There were, though, distinct signs of improvement on his seasonal debut at Aintree last month when he actually turned in a quite lovely performance in the Old Roan Chase.

Buywise never looked like winning, but he looked as purposeful and as switched-on as he had done for a long time to finish a reasonably close third behind Sound Investment and Wishfull Thinking.

That run will have done him the power of good, not least from a fitness point of view, while he returns to Cheltenham just 2lb higher than in last year's race.

With the ground drying nicely - something Williams has stressed is a prerequisite - the eight-year-old has enough raw quality to make it count.

Likeable stayer Sego Success should cope with the demands of the Murphy Group Handicap Chase.

Alan King's seven-year-old was a good novice last season, winning at Wetherby and Warwick before a rather luckless fifth in the four-miler at the Festival.

He admittedly found life tough in the Scottish National, but Sego Success looked in good spirits on his return to the fray at Chepstow last month.

Despite having clearly not been fully fired up, he did well to finish fifth after a couple of hasty blunders mid-race.

Sego Success needs to step up, especially in the jumping department, but King is convinced his inmate is a lot more forward for this assignment than at Chepstow.

A decent surface, allied to what is still a reasonable-looking mark, are also big reasons to suggest the Barbury Castle trainer is right to be positive.

It is difficult to compile a case against Battalion winning the coral.co.uk Churchill Stakes at Lingfield for a second year on the spin.

The five-year-old gelding, trained by William Haggas, bossed the Listed heat 12 months ago and goes for the double on top of his form.

Battalion was a close third in the Winter Hill at Windsor, after which he was an accomplished winner of a Listed race at Goodwood in September.

Now rated 108, Battalion looks a good deal better than most of these.

The Unibet Golden Rose Stakes appears a little murkier, but Polybius caught the eye on the turf from August onwards and would be quite a sensible shout.

David Lanigan's four-year-old was not beaten far in this Listed affair 12 months which was a performance that deserves to be upgraded as he had to come late from an unhelpfully wide draw.

Arzal made a smart chasing debut at Ludlow last month and take another sizeable leap along the ladder in the Racing UK Day Pass Just £10 Novices' Chase at Wetherby.

Kerry Lee has her horses going very well, with Kylemore Lough taken to illustrate the point in the Wychwood Hobgoblin Novices' Limited Handicap Chase at Uttoxeter.

Zed Candy Girl is almost certain to be overpriced for division two of the Download The Ladbrokes App Handicap at Wolverhampton.