Conditions are much improved at Huntingdon Racecourse after severe flooding caused by the overflowing of Alconbury Brook last week.

This aerial shots was taken by local photographer Geoff Soden and show the course on January 3.

The track is due to host a meeting on Friday, its first since November as the Peterborough Chase fixture was lost last month, as was a further fixture last week.

The Huntingdonshire circuit was virtually underwater just days ago due to the deluge brought in by Storm Henk, but most of that water has now cleared and officials are optimistic that racing will go ahead on Friday.

Clerk of the course Roderick Duncan said: “The river is down to pre-flood levels, all the drainage systems are now working and the floodwater has cleared.

“There is just a small area that often accumulates at the two-mile-four (furlong) chute, but not on the racing line.

“There’s a bit of standing water that remains, but we believe we’ve an opportunity of getting this meeting on with the forecast as it is.

“We’ve had a big team in, all the ground staff at Newmarket have given us a hand because there was a lot of debris about, but we’ve found nothing of concern.

“We were lucky that racing-critical buildings like the stable yard have all been flood-defended so that water couldn’t enter them.

“We wouldn’t want a lot of frost, but our forecast indicates that we shouldn’t get it and for that reason we’d be quite optimistic.”

Trainer Gary Moore hopes for a third successive victory for Soigneux Bell in the Weatherbys Chatteris Fen Juvenile  Hurdle at Huntingdon on Friday.

And although Moore believes Soigneux Bell, who finished fifth over course and distance on his second start over hurdles in November, will need to step forward from his recent success at Fontwell he feels testing conditions at the Huntingdon track will play to his strengths.