AS the wit had it, we saw again that dj vu, as both Catterick and Newcastle were frosted off. This placed the emphasis on the all-weather, and as usual, certain of our trainers were quick off the mark.

David Barron, long known for shrewdly placing his horses to win on the sand courses, won on Friday with old favourite Blakeset, a quick follow-up to the horse's recent Southwell victory. At Southwell on Monday, Barron sent out Penwell Hill to win.

Michael Dods has kept Smith N Allan Oils busy of late and the useful gelding travelled to Lingfield before the year ended and after, winning both times to make the Piercebridge success rate at the Surrey course four in a row. Robert Winston rode the winner last week, but on Tuesday did not arrive in time, so Eddie Ahern took over, this being part of a treble for him.

Also on the mark at Dunstall Park last Friday was Ian McInnes with his consistent Rock Concert.

The first Regional Racing meeting took place there on Saturday and Declan Carroll became the first trainer to land one of these new races, when Cleveland Way took the opener under apprentice David Nolan.

The card was full of Grade H level races, for horses rated no higher than 65, and the British Horseracing Board expects there to be six or seven races per meeting in its new initiative. Prize money from the board is £25,000 per meeting.

At Wolverhampton, there were plenty of runners, but only about 400 paying punters at the course. Off-course bookmakers reported good levels of business and were particularly pleased at this, as there was only one British jumps meeting.

Ian Renton, the racing director of Arena Leisure, which will hold 80pc of the Regional Racing meetings at its courses, said he would prefer to see these low grade races combined into a normal raceday, rather than have them as a "separate division".

Racing Week is pleased that there are now chances for "ordinary" horses, but agrees with Mr Renton that slotting Regional Races into cards with other races would be more palatable than an all-low grade card.

It reminds us of a race meeting we visited in London, Ontario, where racegoers enjoyed good food and betting while below, nondescript horses unknown to the punters raced around a mainly floodlit track.

They might as well have been "virtual" racing, for all the racegoers paid attention. We suspect Regional Racing could end up the same, but do hope otherwise.

As for Cleveland Way, the gelding went on to Southwell next day, the second Regional Racing meeting, but could only finish second in the apprentice race, this time partnered by Carroll's claimer, Daniel Tudhope.

Winner was Larky's Lob, trained by Stanley dentist Paul Johnson.

Also on the mark were James Hetherton's Dash Of Magic and Patrick Haslam's Rosti.

Jumping meetings being thin for us, it was not until Tuesday that we had some NH winners. Wetherby went ahead and Alan Lockwood sent out a surprise one-two in the handicap hurdle, Only Words under Graham Lee beating Pompeii, both at 25-1.

Lee went on to Musselburgh for a treble on Wednesday, taking two for Howard Johnson as Boy's Hurrah won the novice chase and Dj vu, the novice handicap hurdle.

Earlier, he was odds-on to take the novice hurdle for Johnson on owner Andrea and Graham Wylie's Flownaway, but the pair fell at the penultimate flight.

The Wylies and Johnson had a blow earlier in the week when Lord Transcend was reported as injured and set to miss the rest of the season.

The fall of Flownaway left Davy Russell free to win for Ferdy Murphy on Outside Investor, owned by Anthony O'Gorman. Lee's other winner was on the Scottish-trained Midlem Melody.

Kate Milligan was also in the winner's circle, when Middleway took the handicap hurdle.

ALL OUR WINNERS

Fifteen To Follow (winners shown as FtF): Altay, A Piece Of Cake, Covent Garden, Europa, Far Pavilions, Gralmano, Hussard Collonges, Jungle Jinks, Moss Harvey, Our Armageddon, Patriarch Express, Ryalux, Silver Knight, Through The Rye, Truckers Tavern.

Tuesday, Dec 30. - Lingfield AW: Smith N Allan Oils (trained by Michael Dods, at Piercebridge; owned by Smith & Allan Racing), ridden by Robert Winston.

Friday. - Wolverhampton AW: Blakeset (David Barron, Maunby; Nigel Shields), Dean Mernagh; Rock Concert (Ian McInnes, Leavening; Ivy House Racing), Natalia Gemelova (claiming 7lbs).

Saturday. - Wolverhampton AW: Cleveland Way (Declan Carroll, Warthill; The Boot & Shoe Ackworth Parthership), David Nolan (5).

Sunday. - Southwell AW: Rosti (Patrick Haslam, Middleham; Exors of the late B M Hawkins/Lord Downshire), Rory Moore (5); Larky's Lob (Paul Johnson, White-le-Head; P and Mrs D M Johnson), N Chalmers; Dash Of Magic (James Hetherton, Malton; 21st Century Racing), Chris Catlin.

Monday. - Southwell AS: Penwell Hill (David Barron; Mrs Liz Jones), Dean Mernagh.

Tuesday. - Wetherby: Only Words (A Lockwood, Brawby; Mrs Lynne Lumley), Graham Lee.

Lingfield AW: Smith N Allan Oils (see above), Eddie Ahern.

Wednesday. - Musselburgh: Outside Investor (Ferdy Murphy, West Witton; Anthony O'Gorman), Davy Russell; Boy's Hurrah (Howard Johnson, Crook; Mrs S Johnson), Graham Lee; Dj vu (Howard Johnson; The SGS Partnership), Graham Lee; Middleway (Kate Milligan, Middleham; Mrs J M L Milligan), F Keniry