The rain has come in time for Somnus to play a starring role on Pitman's Derby Day at Newcastle tomorrow.

An enforced absentee from Royal Ascot last week due to the lightning-fast ground, Ryedale's top sprinter has seen the weather turn in time for him to contest the £50,000 Foster's Lager Chipchase Stakes, the first of seven races on a bumper card on Gosforth Park's biggest day of the year.

Somnus, trained by Tim Easterby, proved himself in the top league last season, winning the Group 1 Haydock Sprint Trophy after late rain had eased the ground.

His Group 1 penalty adds to Somnus' burden in this Group 3 event, but Philip Robinson's mount is still fancied to gain compensation for having to miss last Saturday's Golden Jubilee Stakes at Ascot, won by stablemate Fayr Jag.

The rain-softened ground will also suit Collier Hill, who has fine prospects of landing the showpiece event, the John Smith's Northum-berland Plate - traditionally known as the Pitman's Derby - which is worth a whopping £180,000.

The mount of Ryedale jockey Robert Winston, Collier Hill is trained near Richmond by Alan Swinbank, who has his team in fine form. A winner of a Listed race at Hamilton last time, Collier Hill is a useful horse with give in the ground and remains fairly unexposed over staying distances.

Conditions look ideal tomorrow, the only reservation being his wide draw - stall 18 - from which he will need to overcome a bias which has seen eight of the last ten winners start from single-figure stalls. That said, many of the more fancied horses tomorrow have been burdened with high draws.

Also worth noting at Newcastle are Mutawaqed (2-25), who bids to land the same race he won last year, and Tsaroxy (4-40), an expensive newcomer from the Howard Johnson stable.

At Newmarket, Baltic Dip is expected to underline her ability in the £25,000 Cheveley Park Stud Empress Stakes.

Richard Hannon's filly scored on her debut at Goodwood last month, beating the well-regarded Park Romance by a short head. She can follow up here.

The return of Trade Fair in the Bango Criterion Stakes, a race he won last year, is something to look forward to, while Mister Sweets, who ran well over an inadequate trip at York last time, can oblige for Warthill trainer Declan Carroll in the Bango Apprentice Handicap over an ideal seven furlongs.

Easterby can also figure prominently at Doncaster's evening meeting. The Great Habton trainer saddles highly-rated juvenile Molly Marie in the opening fillies' maiden. A good second to a high-class rival on her debut at Leicester, she is napped to go one better this time.

Saturday's tips:

Newcastle

1-55 Somnus; 2-25 Mutawaqed; 3-00 Collier Hill; 3-30 Crystal Curling; 4-05 Ali Deo; 4-40 Tsaroxy; 5-10 Kings College Boy.

Newmarket

1-35 Delsarte; 2-10 Baltic Dip; 2-40 Kschessinka; 3-15 Trade Fair; 3-50 Councellor; 4-25 Danclare; 5-00 Mister Sweets.

Doncaster

6-50 Molly Marie (NAP); 7-20 Forged; 7-50 Bollin Edward; 8-20 Murashah; 8-50 Clarinch Claymore; 9-20 Park Star.

Tomorrow's other meetings are at Chester (afternoon, Flat), Lingfield (evening, Flat) and Windsor (afternoon, Flat).

Updated: 11:53 Friday, June 25, 2004