RAIN may be the last thing racegoers want as they prepare to go to York this afternoon, but North Yorkshire trainer Peter Niven is craving for a deluge on behalf of his mud-loving stable star.

Clever Cookie won the Group 3 Ormonde Stakes at Chester earlier this month after torrential rain hit the Roodeye track and turned the ground soft.

More of the same would suit the gelding this today as he lines up for the £40,000 Stowe Family Law LLP Grand Cup, a Listed race in which Clever Cookie dead-heated for first 12 months ago.

It is likely to be tougher this time around, especially carrying a penalty for his latest success, but Clever Cookie is a better horse now than he was then. If the rain arrives in time, the seven-year-old is fancied to prevail. If it doesn’t, Niven might even elect not to run him, in which case Freddie Tylicki’s mount Wakea, trained by Jeremy Noseda, might be one to be on.

The £50,000 titanbet.co.uk Handicap takes pride of place on the programme and Norton trainer Neville Bycroft is fancied to lift the prize with Willbeme, the mount of Phillip Makin.

A winner on this course last summer, Willbeme made a most encouraging return to action here earlier this month when finishing fifth to Out Do, beaten only three lengths.

She is entitled to improve with that race under her belt and could well come out on top in this tough and competitive contest.

Richard Fahey seldom leaves York empty-handed and the Malton trainer has a whole host of good chances today, not least in the opening titanbet.co.uk Handicap, provided he can beat the five-strong squad of David O’Meara-trained runners.

Fahey runs both Dusky Queen and Rene Mathis and although the former has good track form, Rene Mathis, a fine second at Chester last time, is marginally preferred.

Innocent Touch and Another Touch, both jointly-owned by former course chairman Nicholas Wrigley, also have good chances for Fahey.

The first-named runs in the LAR Asbestos Removal Handicap and might not need to improve much on his third-placed effort behind Libran here last time to take the prize.

Another Touch runs in the Yorkshire Regiment Median Auction Maiden Stakes and can be fancied on the strength of his fourth-placed debut effort on this course at the Dante Festival.

Wrigley and his ownership partner Kevin Hart will also have close eyes on Haydock, where Don’t Touch is napped to lift the Racing UK Anywhere Available Now Handicap.

The three-year-old, unraced last season, trotted up on his debut in maiden company at Newcastle earlier this month and now contests his first handicap. He is selected to make it two from two.

Tim Easterby will be pleased that rain has eased the Haydock ground ahead of the featured 888sport Sandy Lane Stakes, in which he saddles Mattmu, narrowly beaten in the Duke Of York Stakes at York earlier this month and a horse who relishes some give in the ground.

Mattmu has good prospects of going one better, but standing in his way is the mighty Limato, who has yet to taste defeat.

Henry Candy’s crack three-year-old made a winning reappearance at Ascot and beat Mattmu handsomely in last autumn’s Redcar Two-Year-Old Trophy. He will be a tough nut to crack in the hands of Graham Lee.

Candy can also win the 888sport Achilles Stakes with high-class speedster Music Master.

York today: 1.45 Rene Mathis, 2.20 Clever Cookie, 3.55 Willbeme, 3.30 Innocent Touch, 4.05 Another Touch, 4.40 Dreamlike, 5.15 Westwood Hoe.

Haydock today: 1.25 Winterval, 2.00 Kleo, 2.35 Cable Bay, 3.10 Music Master, 3.45 Limato, 4.20 Don’t Touch (NAP), 4.55 Empress Toorah.

Today’s other meetings: Chepstow, Chester, Newmarket and Stratford.