MUD was the principal commodity at Ripon yesterday as torrential rain waterlogged the course and caused racing to be abandoned after four of the six events had been run.

The parade ring and enclosures were turned into lakes by mid afternoon and the stewards, who had delayed proceedings by 10 minutes after the first race because of thunder and lightening, had no option but to call a halt.

"It must be bad, even our Mick says its unraceable!" joked former trainer Peter Easterby as the drenched crowd made their way to the car parks shortly after 4.39.

The featured Steve Nesbitt Challenge Trophy fell to 8 to 1 shot Wafir, powerfully ridden by John Carroll to get the better of Red Valerian and Cheerful Aspect by three quarters of a length and a head.

"When I bought him from Dermot Weld at last year's Horses-in-Training sales at Newmarket, he told me that this horse wanted fast ground!" revealed winning trainer Peter Calver with a smile.

Calver, who trains just up the road from the course, added: "He hasn't turned out to be as good as we had hoped, and it's just a question now of picking up what races we can with him."

Stamina was at a premium in the two miles Weatherbys/Hiscox Household Insurance Handicap. and Uncle Doug ploughed through the testing ground under a fine ride from Tony Culhane to win by one and a quarter lengths from long time leader Shirley Sue.

" I didn't think he wanted this ground," said winning trainer Mary Reveley. "But he handled it well and kept going through it."

Mrs Reveley, who plans to switch Uncle Doug back to hurdles this winter, had earlier seen Mellottie - a noted fast-ground specialist - finish second to 16 to 1 shot Tame Deer in the Deverell Claiming Stakes.

"I didn't know whether he would handle this ground because he's never raced on anything like it before," explained winning trainer Michael Chapman.

"But my jockey, David McCabe said he floated down on it. I just wish he had had a two-way radio and could have told me - Tame Deer wouldn't have started at 16 to 1 then!"

Rainbow Top, the odds-on favourite, who finished a well-beaten sixth, was found to be in a distressed state after the race.

Champion jockey Tony McCoy rattled off a 38 to 1 hat-trick at Uttoxeter yesterday following wins for Knucklebuster, Prerogative and Warner's Sports. The three-timer takes McCoy on to the 29 winner mark for the season just two behind his arch rival David Bridgwater who heads the table for the jockeys' title.