Norton trainer Brian Ellison will be keeping his fingers tightly crossed that tomorrow's Ripon meeting survives an early-morning inspection.

He saddles Cd Flyer in the feature race, the £50,000 William Hill Great St Wilfrid Handicap, and the seven-year-old mudlover will be in his element on the rain-sodden course as he bids for this major prize.

A Redcar winner this season, Cd Flyer has been running well in defeat recently and the other big bonus he has tomorrow is a high draw, which is usually crucial on the sprint course at Ripon when the ground is testing.

Sheriff Hutton apprentice Paul Mulrennan has the mount on Cd Flyer, who is napped to lift this historic handicap - provided the meeting gets the go-ahead.

Jonny Eberneezer, Tom Tun and Machinist are among the dangers in what promises to be a cracking race.

Also worth noting is Hezaam in the Ripon Cathedral Handicap.

This £15,000 event has cut up to just three runners and Hezaam, sent on the long journey north from John Dunlop's Sussex yard, looks set to provide Kevin Darley with a winner on one of his local courses.

Malton trainer Richard Fahey, who has his horses in blinding form, sends Golden Legacy to Newbury in search of her third winner off the reel.

This potentially high-class filly broke her maiden at Catterick and followed-up in great style under top-weight and from an unfavourably high draw, in a warm nursery at Chester last time, coming right away in the final furlong.

Paul Hanagan, who has ridden five winners in the last two days, three of them on Fahey-trained horses, again takes the mount on Golden Legacy in the £25,000 stanjamesuk.com St Hugh's Stakes.

Stan James also sponsors the two principal races on the Newbury card, the £100,000 Geoffrey Freer Stakes, which has attracted only four runners, and looks an ideal opportunity for top-flight performer Mubtaker to begin his belated season on a winning note, and the £50,000 Hungerford Stakes.

The latter, run over seven furlongs, has attracted a useful 13-strong field for this Group 3 prize and none will be better suited by the trip or the ground than Millennium Force, trained by Mick Channon.

The six-year-old has been running really well in defeat this season and tomorrow's easier going might just turn him back into a winner. Chris Catlin has the mount.

Saturday's tips:

Ripon

2.10 Dario Gee Gee, 2.45 Harrison's Flyer, 3.15 Cd Flyer (Nap), 3.50 Charnock Bates One, 4.25 Along The Nile, 4.55 Hezaam.

Newbury

TV races: 1.00 Greenslades, 2.50 Millennium Force, 3.25 Mubtaker.

Newmarket

TV races: 2.05 Alderney Race, 2.35 Sir Desmond.

Tomorrow's other meetings: Bangor, Goodwood, Market Rasen.

Updated: 12:24 Friday, August 13, 2004