Hopes were high today that tomorrow's meeting at Huntingdon will beat the weather.

Adam Waterworth, general manager of Huntingdon racecourse, said: "I think we'll be OK.

"The rain has stopped. The forecast is for more rain overnight and we might call an inspection for tomorrow morning after we've walked the track later on but I think we'll be all right."

Tomorrow's Newton Abbot meeting was called off yesterday because the course is waterlogged.

The other race meeting tomorrow is the Flat card at Wolverhampton's all-weather track.

Southwell's meeting this afternoon was called off today because the course is waterlogged.

This afternoon's Carlisle meeting was was abandoned on Monday due to waterlogging.

A total of 21 meetings have now been lost during the current jumps season, eight in the past week.

China Castle, who completed an eight-day hat-trick yesterday, takes to the road again tomorrow in a bid to notch win number four at Wolverhampton.

The gelding, trained at Middleham by Patrick Haslam, goes for the £10,000 Tote Showcase Handicap - a race he won 12 months ago - and has an excellent chance of defying a 6lb penalty.

At his best at this time of year, 11 of his 12 career wins have been achieved in January - China Castle made light of his task yesterday.

Sent off the 10/11 favourite, he made headway to lead early in the home straight and pulled right away inside the final furlong to beat previous course winner Palais by no less than nine lengths.

China Castle has more on his plate tomorrow, but is in such dynamic form at present that he looks sure to take all the beating. Carl Lowther again has the mount.

Haslam and Lowther can also lift the Birmingham Handicap with Erinvale.

This promising three-year-old got off the mark at Lingfield recently when getting the better of Oh I Say, a victory which compensated him for a short-head defeat at Southwell on his previous outing. He is going the right way and can score again tomorrow as he steps up in distance.

Primo Lara is napped to take plenty of catching in the six-furlongs Dudley Conditions Stakes.

The Peter Harris-trained sprinter, effective on turf and all-weather surfaces, showed tremendous courage to score by a head from Ziggy's Dancer over this distance at Lingfield a month ago.

Although he has yet to win on this course, Primo Lara can prove his versatility by obliging tomorrow under apprentice Paul Roberts, who was in the saddle at Lingfield.

The Netherton Maiden Stakes will not take a great deal of winning and it could pay dividends to rely on the in-form pair, Mark Johnston and Joe Fanning, who are represented by Bruff Stream.

This son of Accordion made his racecourse debut over this course and distance a fortnight ago and shaped well to finish third to odds-on favourite Violet.

Some improvement is required to win tomorrow, but there is every reason to believe that Bruff Stream will have progressed sufficiently as a result of that initial outing to prove equal to his task.

The Bilston Selling Stakes will not take much winning and the vote goes to Lady Carbron. Jack Berry's three-year-old is no world-beater, but is already a winner over this course and distance.

If tomorrow's meeting at Huntingdon survives, it promise to be an interesting card.

Collier Bay, best known for winning the Champion Hurdle, is now tackling fences and the nine-year-old makes plenty of appeal in the Huntingdon Novices' Chase.

Springfield Scally, who missed a winning opportunity when this afternoon's Southwell meeting fell victim to waterlogging, gets another chance to shine in the Offord Novices' Handicap Hurdle.

Quick returnJockey Brian Harding will make a quick return to action tomorrow after giving up two rides at Doncaster yesterday.

He has made a speedy recovery from the effects of a fall on Imperial Fountain which left him dazed.

"He is fine and has been schooling at Micky Hammond's today," said his wife Sarah. "He was a bit groggy but he has no problems now and he will be back in action at Huntingdon tomorrow."

Tomorrow's tips

WOLVERHAMPTON1.40....................Bruff Stream2.10..............................Alsahib2.40.....................China Castle3.10.............Primo Lara (Nap)3.40...................Lady Carbron4.10............................ErinvaleHUNTINGDON1.30...........................Dmowski2.00.......................Collier Bay2.30..................Bessie Browne3.00................Hawaiian Youth3.30..........................River Bay4.00............Springfield Scally

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.