IT should have proved the unplayable delivery. "Gosh, that's a tough question,'' Andrew Balding admitted.

He was told his fairy godmother could grant him one wish - either a debut winner at the Cheltenham festival or his beloved Southampton remaining in the Premiership.

There was a momentary pause. "I want both," he replied. "I've got to say both, haven't I?''

As the Saints languish in the cellar of soccer's elite, Balding sends Distant Prospect into battle in tomorrow's highly-competitive Joe Coral Cup with the significant presence of one AP McCoy on his back.

The 7-1 second favourite has not run since November when he held on gamely to thwart Albuhera's dogged challenge ovcer an inadequate two miles in the Gerry Fielden Hurdle at Newbury, and it has been one of racing's most open secrets that he has been aimed at the 2m 5f handicap.

"We've had this race in mind,'' he said at his Kingsclere stables.

"He's fit and well and we're hopeful of a good run.

"He ran well over the course last year and certainly the hustle and bustle won't affect him. He's a big field handicap specialist on the flat.''

Balding today saddled Redi in the newly- instituted Fred Winter Juvenile Novices Hurdle.

The four-year-old bolted up at Sandown last month and he quietly fancies the chance of the Barry Geraghty partnered runner: "He's got a good each-way chance.''

Emma Lavelle has the largest number of entries but sadly confirmed her stable star Cloudy Grey will miss the concluding Vincent O'Brien Handicap Hurdle because of a cracked vertabrae and hopes the ground will be soft enough for her to declare Tana River in the new Jewson Novices Handicap Chase on Thursday.

He won well at Fontwell and Lav-elle has dismissed his last run at Leicester, saying: "He was a sick horse when he came to the stab- les - full of mucus.''

Her best hope lies with The Bandit in the Kim Muir Chase tomorrow. A promising fourth at Cheltenham earlier in the season, he was just touched off at Newbury and the form has worked out well.

"I wanted to preserve his handicap mark and ran him over at hurdles at Huntingdon last time and he ran well to finish third, but he's a very much better chaser than a hurdler. He goes into Cheltenham fit and well.''

Her other runner, Palua, a fortunate winner at Doncaster last month when the favourite was brought down, goes for the Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Cup, but she fears he will be outclassed.

Other Hampshire entries for Friday include the Jonathan Geake-trained Keltic Rock in the Brit Insurance Novices Hurdle and Island Sound, who David Elsworth has pencilled in for the Vincent O'Brien Hurdle.