TWO of the most promising young jump jockeys to emerge this season, Sam Thomas and Steven Craine, could be on target at Taunton this afternoon.

Of the pair, Thomas has to date enjoyed a far higher public profile thanks to his successful association with top-flight trainer Venetia Williams, who has a plethora of decent tackle in her yard, including Trouble Ahead (4.20).

Venetia has provided Sam with 19 of his 28 successes this term, most notably Limerick Boy, winner of the valuable Lanzarote Hurdle at Kempton a couple weeks ago.

The 13-year-old Trouble Ahead is nowhere near in that sort of league these days, but there may well still be sufficient spring in his legs to pick up the two-mile-and-three-furlong £8,000 Tote Placepot Handicap Chase.

For evidence of his well-being, a cursory glance at his latest effort - a close third at Ascot last month - shows Trouble Ahead to be in the rudest of health, despite his pensioner status.

Add into the equation the fact that young Sam is still able to take 5lb off his able partner's back, plus the suitability of both track and trip, and there is a solid case for siding with the in-form combination.

Steven Craine's opportunities have been far more limited than those handed to Thomas, but when given the chance he has shone brightly, even when taking on the likes of Johnson and McCoy.

Craine is attached to Charlie Mann's Lambourn stable and it is Mann's inmate, Regal Holly (3.50), who makes most appeal in the Corfe Handicap Hurdle.

Regal Holly is a very versatile type of mare, equally effective over fences or hurdles. Perhaps her strongest suit is the ability to handle very testing ground, a scenario almost certain to prevail at the West Country course in view of the wet spell and diabolical weather forecast.

Hardly a year goes by without David Barron's Maunby-near-Thirsk stable featuring at the head of the all-weather trainers' table.

Barron, who currently leads the 2003/2004 race for the title with 16 winners and over £66,000 in prize-money, should top up the kitty at Southwell with Massey (3.30) in the most valuable contest on the card, the £12,000 Littlewoods Direct Stakes.

Massey has been one of David's principal money-spinners over the past three years, chipping in with a couple of victories during the winter months when the competition is not nearly as fierce compared to the turf.

* Heavy rain is threatening this week's jumps meetings with inspections planned at Leicester and Towcester.

Officials will check the track at Leicester at 11am today to assess prospects for racing tomorrow.

Clerk of the course Nick Lees said: ''The chase course is good to soft, hurdles heavy, waterlogged in places. If the forecast is correct prospects are not great.''

Lees is also clerk at Towcester, where racing is due to take place on Thursday.

He said: ''We are soft but in the home straight we are heavy, waterlogged in places."

Newcastle's meeting tomorrow could be under threat if there is much more rain at the Gosforth Park track.

Clerk of the course James Armstrong said: ''We could race today but we are pretty heavy at the moment and we wouldn't want much more rain.

''There are no plans for an inspection at this stage but we may have to call one if we get the forecast rain.''

There are no reported problems ahead of today's jumps card at Taunton, where the going is described as good to soft, soft in places with ''just a few showers around''.

Officials at Taunton will treat the meeting as a ''normal raceday'' amid reports that protests by football fans against Irish racing tycoons John Magnier and JP McManus could spill on to racecourses.

McManus will have two runners at Taunton, Nicely Presented in the second division of the Taunton Racecourse Seminar Centre Novices' Hurdle and Hawk's Landing in the Orchard Restaurant Novices' Chase.

But there are no plans to have extra security measures in place at the Somerset venue.