HOPES for this afternoon's Haydock card hinge on a 6.45am inspection following a prodigious amount of rain in the area over the past seven days.

If the track does prove fit for racing the forecast soft ground will not hinder the prospects of Brian Ellison's Miss Opulence (3.15), who is particularly effective when presented with testing underfoot conditions.

She's a lovely filly, blessed with a really powerful set of hindquarters that help provide her with essential acceleration at the business end of affairs. And it was that finishing speed which proved decisive when Miss Opulence won at the course last month over a mile-and-a-quarter.

Today she steps back a couple of furlongs for the £14,000 Fauls Green Stakes, a negative factor that should be offset by the gruelling nature of the sodden turf.

No such problems at Wolverhampton where by virtue of the fibresand becoming compacted the track can ride quite fast during wet weather. Crowds tend to be small, but the presence of Frankie Dettori aboard Romaric in the opening Chestertown Tea Party Maiden Stakes could easily swell gate numbers.

Whether Romaric will be good enough to beat Always Flying (2.20) is debatable since the latter is reported to be held in pretty high regard by those in-the-know at Kingsley House.

Always Flying also has the added advantage of having had a previous run, Mark Johnston's colt showing sizzling early pace on his Carlisle debut where it was only lack of peak fitness that caused him to wilt in the close home.

The closing Mayoral Handicap won't take any winning and the unexposed five-year-old Court One (4.55), who showed a glimmer of promise in 2002, looks a good a bet as anything.

According to my speed figures Pontefract's Micklegate Handicap should revolve around Dmitri (8.00), the likely winner if he reproduces his latest close second at York.

The form of that contest on the Knavesmire is already working out nicely and Michael Bell's three-year-old does not appear to be harshly treated.

In the later mile-and-a-half St John Ambulance Handicap Bell has excellent double prospects via Border Tale (8.30). Quite why Border Tale ran so badly when only fourth at Windsor on Monday evening is something of a mystery.

The progressive three-year-old had previously prevailed by five lengths at the south London venue and he's still only 5lb higher in the ratings so must be regarded as a favourably handicapped individual.

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