The trauma at Wetherby's last meeting, when four horses perished on October 14, has come to the attention of animal-rights protesters. Their presence is expected tomorrow when the northern venue opens its two-day Charlie Hall meeting.

“We have heard indirectly that Animal Aid are going to be holding a demonstration outside the racecourse,” Jonjo Sanderson, clerk of the course at Wetherby, said yesterday. “That's fair enough, they obviously believe we are culpable in some way, but nobody else does.”

The nobodies include numerous inspectors from the British Horseracing Authority and Professional Sportsturf Design, a prominent firm of turf agronomists, all of whom declared the track fit for racing after examining the surface last week.

Trainers appear unconcerned that one of the North's flagship venues has any safety issue. Wetherby received a healthy set of entries for the fixture, although proof of the pudding will arrive at declaration time this morning.

“I'd be lying if I said we weren't sitting here hoping for a trouble-free meeting,” Sanderson said. “But Wetherby has been the most inspected course in the country over the last two years and each time it has been passed fit for racing. We have every confidence that it is safe.”

In the absence of rain, extensive watering of the surface continues - although Sanderson is hoping that the belt of wet weather forecast for tomorrow afternoon arrives. “Artificial watering works well at this time of year but you can't beat water brought by Mother Nature,” he said.

The Coolmore/Maktoum stand-off shows no signs of abating but John Magnier, the Coolmore linchpin, will surely be glad that the fallout did not happen any earlier.

Back in 1995 Magnier gave 40,000 guineas at auction for Flamenco Wave, a 14-year-old mare offered for sale by Sheikh Mohammed. What would now be strictly off-limits proved an inspired purchase, since Flamenco Wave bred Magnier a pair of group one winners in Ballingary and Aristotle. Those successes doubtless encouraged Magnier to take a chance on a yearling colt by Montjeu out of Flamenco Wave's daughter, Leaping Water, at last year's Tattersalls sales. At 200,000 guineas, St Nicholas Abbey was cheap at the price.

Greatwood, the charity that cares for retired and neglected racehorses, is finding novel ways of raising money in recessionary times. Among imminent fund-raisers are the inaugural Great Sunday lunch, featuring recipes by Nigella Lawson, and a one-off charity race at Cheltenham on November 15. Meanwhile, a Spanish cabinet donated to Greatwood is expected to fetch five figures when auctioned at Christie's on Thursday.

The Aga Khan's ringing endorsement of Sea The Stars, to whom he will breed his champion filly Zarkava, lends momentum to an internet campaign mounted by Horse & Hound on the great horse's behalf.

The equestrian magazine has asked its readers to remind sports editors of national newspapers that Sea The Stars qualifies for their vote in the BBC Overseas Sports Personality of the Year Award. Horse & Hound should be commended for its Sea The Stars initiative. More's the pity that the long-running publication failed to put Sea The Stars on its front cover after his Arc triumph.

The most elusive mobile phone number to journalists is that of Aidan O'Brien. However, during a Breeders' Cup conference call yesterday, O'Brien's secretary couldn't raise the trainer and asked that he be contacted on his mobile. As she relayed the number, she was plainly unaware that Fleet Street's finest were all listening in.