WITH all the flexibility of a well-known credit card, Tim Easterby switched Knighted, an intended runner at the postponed Cheltenham Festival, to Doncaster's first flat meeting on the turf - and the change of plan worked.

Indeed, this was the third idea for the gelding, who had a hurdles race pencilled in at Huntingdon, off through waterlogging.

Running in the well-known and distinctive colours of the Elite Racing Club, Knighted landed the South Yorkshire Times handicap over 2m 2f in good fashion, finishing nine lengths clear of Jonjo O'Neill's Legal Lunc, with Deano's Beeno a further five lengths back in third.

Knighted won twice over hurdles this winter and was due to contest the Gala Group Casinos Final at Cheltenham, still the target if the ground stays soft and the race goes ahead.

Mel Brittain, who bred, owns and trains Melodian, was unable to attend Friday's meeting but watched his charge land the Spring Mile under Tyrone Williams, slamming all rivals by ten lengths in the mud. At 20-1 not many were on.

The opening day saw a young apprentice, David Nolan, leading turf jockey for half an hour. He won the apprentice race for his new guv'nor, Les Eyre, on Bawsian and followed up with a repeat win on Wednesday, a D&S Times area first-and-last result for the week.

Karl Burke's move to Spigot Lodge at the top of Gale Bank, Wensley, has proved profitable. Following on his recent cracking all-weather successes, the new boy at Middleham won the sprint Showcase Handicap with Pure Coincidence. Dean Mernagh got the winner up late on the line to land the race by a head.

On Saturday, alas, we drew a blank. Lynda Ramsden double-entered John Fernley in the Lincoln and in the Cammidge Trophy, choosing the latter and shorter trip in the heavy ground. She lost out all round as she was fined £790 for the double declaration and her stable star ended 11th.

Mastermind, her lesser light, fared better, coming fourth in the Lincoln. Brian Ellison will have been pleased with the run of Bring Sweets, third in the Konika East Doncaster Shield, while David Nicholls was in the prize money with Furthur Outlook's fourth in the Cammidge.

One to watch is Tim Easterby's debutant colt, Artie, an eye-catching second in the opening maiden sprint.

However, in the Dubai sands, Pipalong for him and Sugarfoot for Nigel Tinkler were tenth in their respective races, the Dubai Golden Shaeen and the Godolphin Mile. As both were on dirt, this may explain their positions.

Mark Johnston's Murghem was stone last in the Dubai Sheema Classic, which was on the turf course.

Jockey Ollie Pears has been riding out for Godolphin in Dubai this winter but would find a very different surface for his first win back here at Nottingham, partnering Valeureux to win for James Hetherton, a 100-1 shock (nearly 117-1 on the Tote). Fellow rider Willie Ryan said it was the worst ground he'd ever ridden on.

However, it did not stop Brian Rothwell from getting off the mark, following his four AW wins early this year, as Picture Mee scored under Mark Fenton.

Catterick was lost to the foot-and-mouth crisis as the Danby Wiske case put the course in an exclusion zone - and of course, even nearer, Bellerby sadly joined the list of places hit by the virus that day. Altogether more than 150 meetings have been lost since September through bad weather and foot-and-mouth.

Hence many trainers have used the all-weather to good effect, and this week this included Jimmy FitzGerald, sending out a winner in the unlikely setting of Southwell for the Marquesa de Moratalla.

Micky Hammond and David Chapman were also in the winners' circle, the latter with his own Redoubtable.

Fergal Lynch won for Scorton trainer David Barker on Tancred Times and Stan Finnamore won for Julie Craze on AA-Youknownothing, formerly with Mick Easterby.

Apologies are due to Ann Stokell from Brompton-on-Swale, as Racing Week missed her Wolverhampton winner on February 17, Flying Treaty (Joanna Badger up). On Wednesday, the trainer followed up at Lingfield, Flying Treaty running over a slightly longer trip to land the spoils.

Formerly with John Gosden, this has now won three since joining the North Yorkshire trainer, plus a long run of seconds.

For Joanna Badger this was her 50th win, Ann Stokell having "jocked off" Jamie Mackay when the girl apprentice was able to divert from Catterick's missed meeting.

This cut her riding claim to just 3lbs and the trainer praised her for "riding as well as anyone." The stable boasts a string of six and is clearly one to follow.

The Week's Winners

Key: Now that the turf season is with us, unmarked meetings are flat; NH=National Hunt (jumps) meetings; and AW=all-weather flat racing. f=furlong (8f=1mile); chs=steeplechase; hdl=hurdles race; NHf=National Hunt flat race (bumper). Hb=homebred by owner.

Thursday last week. - Doncaster: (12f) Bawsian (trained by Les Eyre, at Hambleton; owned by David Scott), ridden by David Nolan; (5f) Pure Coincidence (Karl Burke, Coverham; Asterlane Ltd), Dean Mernagh..

Friday. - Doncaster: (18f) Knighted (Tim Easterby, Great Habton; Elite Racing Club), Paul Fessey; (8f) Melodian (Mal Brittain, Warthill; trainer), Tyrone Williams.

Saturday. - No DST area winners.

Monday. - Southwell AW: (16f) Old Feathers (Jimmy FitzGerald, Norton; Marquesa de Moratalla), K Dalgleish; (16f) Battle Warning (M Hammond, Middleham; trainer), J Weaver; (6f) Redoubtable (D Chapman, Stillington; trainer), T Culhane.

Tuesday. - Wolverhampton AW: (5f) Tancred Times (D Barker, Scorton; trainer), Fergal Lynch; (5f) AA-Youknownothing (Julie Craze, Elvington; T Marshall), S Finnamore.

Wednesday. - Lingfield AW: (12f) Flying Treat (Ann Stokell, Brompton-on-Swale; R J Buxton), Joanna Badger.

Nottingham: (8f) Valeureux (J Hetherton, Malton; Eureka Racing), O Pears; (8f) Picture Mee (B Rothwell, Musley Bank; The Three County Partnership), M Fenton; (10f) Bawsian (Les Eyre; David Scott), David Nolan.