Hi there,

The weather is still playing havoc with our plans as most tracks
currently have heavy ground. There have been over 30 meetings
abandoned in the last couple of months so the situation for all
trainers is dire with a backlog of horses needing a run. Last week
Wincanton managed to race on desperate ground with a going stick
reading of just 2.7. Lifeguards were positioned around the track to
save fallen jockeys from drowning.

None of our team want heavy ground so we were having to be pretty
patient. After a few dry days we're now getting heavy snow !! I'm
thankful to all the owners for their appreciation of this difficult
situation despite them not getting as much racing as ideal.
Hopefully when the tracks do dry out we will catch up for lost
time. Here is the latest on the team .....

DANSIMAR - after a poor effort at Wincanton on seasonal debut it was
important to see an improvement at Cheltenham. Despite the very
heavy ground they went a million miles an hour early in her race &
she was flat out the whole way. A bad error at the 4th saw her drop
back further than ideal but she never stopped trying. Aidan said it
was the first time she had come out of her comfort zone in a race &
her jumping was put under pressure, however she learn't from the
mistake & jumped well thereafter. He was pleased that she ran on
well and added that now she had her confidence we could look to step
up in trip. We shall look for something suitable in a couple of
weeks. Aidan gave her a super ride and really is a star in the
making.

Last week on RUK Paul Nicholls raised an important matter about
handicap marks for novices. He said that some novices are being
hammered with ridiculous marks for winning average novice hurdles.
He highlighted Pride of Dulcote who is rated 155, a mark only 8lbs
lower than Celestial Halo who is 2nd Favourite for the Champion
Hurdle. He argues that novices should have more time to prove they
are high class before getting marks of that nature.

I only mention this topic as Dansimar was given a mark of 130 after
winning 3 poor novice hurdles. Admittedly she won them easily but
hardly any of the beaten horses had done something of note before or
have done since. When Venetia spoke with the handicapper to get a
guide after her 2nd win she was told " unofficially about 120 ".
After winning her 3rd race at Fontwell just 6 days later, at cramped
odds of just 1/4, she was raised to an official mark of 130.

CHARMAINE WOOD - ran 4th last weekend at Doncaster under Christian
Williams. Having done all the necessary checks pre race we decided
to take our chance but she found the soft ground too testing. It was
worth having a go, she had previously won a poor race on soft, but we
know for certain that she must have decent ground to be competitive
in better class. Disappointingly Christian was asked to bounce out
no further back than mid division but (only he knows why) was still
cruising along in last place going past the stands first time.
Jockeys have a terribly hard job and we can always forgive when split
second decisions go wrong but Christian, on this occasion, simply
gave away 10 lengths to the majority before we had gone past the
starter.

Alan says she came out the race well so we have a tentative plan to
take her to Ascot on February 14th for a Mares only novice. We'll
have a look at the ground and the opposition as usual.

VALLEYOFTHEDOLLS - she runs tomorrow at Southwell providing the
meeting beats the freeze. Looking at the pictures from the track
this afternoon I'm not holding my breath as it's already blizzard
like.

It would be frustrating to see another abandonment as it looks a very
suitable mares race over 2m. She has been working & schooling well
so we shall go there to try our absolute best. Better the ground,
better her chance.

LATIN SCHOLAR - he will race this week at either Market Rasen of
Taunton. The choice will depend on the ground, races that might
divide & ballot marks. He is in good form.

THEATRE DIVA - she will run on Wednesday at Ludlow in a 2m5f Mares
handicap. She has top weight to carry & would prefer the ground to
dry up but, positively, she loves the track and is in good form.
Diva won off 120 at Taunton & now has to try off 125 so she faces no
easy task. However she is very tough & game so will be trying her
best. Sam Thomas will take the ride.

ASTURIENNE - the plan is to run her on Thursday at Huntingdon in an
EBF qualifier. Having won at the track on Boxing Day we can be sure
she acts round there. Alan tells me she has been pleasing him at
home so we would be hopeful of a decent run but it could be a fairly
hot race.

KANDJAR DALLIER - his next target is a 3m chase at Doncaster on Feb
18th in the veterans series. It's a 0-145 so he shouldn't be
burdened with too much weight. Alan tells me he's in good form.

OSCAR JACK - after 2 runs in a week on horrible ground Oscar is
having a short rest but will be back in approximately a fortnight.

LORIENT EXPRESS - he won again on Saturday to rack up a treble for
Venetia and his new owners Mr & Mrs Williams. Lorient has been a
prolific winner having previously won 7 races in our colours. It was
sad to see him released when the syndicate decided to sell at
contract end but it's marvellous to still see him enjoying his
racing. Venetia has done a great job with Lorient & he now goes to
Cheltenham for the Grand Annual.

CHELTENHAM FESTIVAL PREVIEW - this event is selling out even quicker
than in the past.. Only 25 tickets remain unsold .... so if you're
thinking of attending please telephone me quickly to book your seat.

Thanks for reading,

Mark
Racing Manager
www.letsliveracing.com