THEY say the show must go on and despite a wicked combination of snow, sleet, hail and rain, Sedgefield's meeting went ahead as planned yesterday.

One man who was delighted the fixture passed an early morning inspection was Middleham trainer Andy Crook, who was responsible for Matmata de Tendron, winner of the Ramside Catering Handicap Chase.

Matmata de Tendron didn't seem to have a hope of catching clear leader Canavan on the final circuit in the lung-bursting three-mile-three-furlong marathon.

But when Canavan's stride began to shorten inside the final 100 yards, jockey Doug Costello conjured up a storming late run to snatch the spoils in the shadow of the winning post.

"I was praying that the meeting would go ahead because I knew conditions were in his favour. We took him to Leicester last week, but the fences were too stiff for him," explained Andy.

Former top northern rider, Brian Storey, has done well with his small string since hanging up his boots and concentrating on the other side of the business.

Storey, represented by General Duroc, was not surprisingly all smiles after his ten-year-old scraped home by the minimum margin in the Racecourse Video Handicap Hurdle.

"I thought he was beaten, but all he does is stay and he's as tough as they come," said Brian, based just north of Carlisle at the village of Kirklinton.

Malton's Malcolm Jefferson sent out a short-priced double via According To Pete and Polar Gunner.

"Although According To Pete hated the soft ground, I couldn't see anything to beat him so we let him take his chance and it worked.

"He jumps brilliantly and is a nice little horse," reported Jefferson following the conclusion of the John Smith's Extra Smooth Novices Hurdle.

Malcolm's good day's work was completed by the mud-lover Polar Gunner, who was equally impressive when routing his rivals in the closing St James Security Handicap Hurdle.

You could hear a pin drop when the totally unfancied 100-1 skinner, Sarahs Quay, provided Kahlil Burke with his first winner as a public trainer in the Mares Only Novices Chase.

Burke, originally from Galway but now resident in Gloucestershire, was quick to heap praise on stable lad Stewart Baker. "She's had an awful lot of problems and Stewart has done a great job with her," he said.