NATIONAL HUNT trainers looking out for some fast ground might just as well pack up their kit bags and emigrate to drier climes.

Yet more wet weather has blanked out today's meeting at Kelso and condemned the horses running at Doncaster and Newbury to another afternoon of splashing through the mud.

One locally-trained gelding relishing the prevailing rain-sodden conditions is Doncaster-bound Through The Rye (4.05), trained by Edwin Tuer at Great Smeaton, near Northallerton.

Through The Rye stepped up on his previous win at Musselburgh by drubbing a useful field at Sedgefield ten days ago with an awesome piece of front running.

Neither he nor his jockey Graham Lee saw another rival that day as they set off like scalded cats once the tapes went up. And Despite Through The Rye's tendency to pull hard in the early stages, he still had plenty left in the locker to pull 12 lengths clear at the line.

Mick Easterby had Belisario (3.30) entered up at Leicester on Tuesday, but has had to switch him to the Town Moor after the Midlands fixture fell victim to waterlogging.

Belisario has a hardly put a foot wrong this season, scoring in impressive style at Wetherby, as well as reaching the frame on his two other outings.

He's a beautiful rangy animal, who may well develop into a Grand National contender. In the meantime there are plenty of smaller prizes to be bagged, starting with the Doncaster Racecourse Novices' Chase.

If only Bob's Buster (3.00) could stay on his feet he'd be a confident choice for the Blaxton Novices' Chase.

Bob Johnson's clumsy six-year-old has stacks of ability, all to often curbed by taking too many liberties at his obstacles. Last time out at Newcastle he hit the deck, and also threw away a winning chance over track and trip in January with a series of blunders.

I'm prepared to give Bob's Buster one more bite of the cherry because if he does manage to put in a clear round he will surely go close off his current rating.

There are some pretty unreliable characters in the Branton Handicap Chase, a remark that definitely does not apply to the top-weight Nosam (4.40).

Norman Mason's raider never fails to give less than 100 per cent and although he appears rather harshly-treated at present, he has the sheer guts to overcome a back-breaking weight plus less than generous handicap mark.

Mary Reveley goes to Newbury mob-handed with one or even two runners in four of the seven races.

Perhaps the pick of her powerful raiding party will turn out to be Hunters Creek (3.45), twice successful at Catterick in recent weeks.

Catterick and Newbury are like chalk and cheese. The former is a tight track with a tendency to suit nippy types of horses, whereas Newbury is a big wide-open galloping track.

Hunters Creek has, however, proved himself in the past to be a versatile individual, which coupled with the benefit of being stepped up markedly in trip for the £12,000 Arkell's Brewery Novices' Handicap Chase, may enable him to bring the booty back to the North-East.