Tuesday 6 January

The Handicapper has just published his revised handicap ratings for the horses that ran last week (Up to Saturday evening). And as expected Mattaking has been raised - this is no surprise, but the level of the rise has given me a bit of a shock 13lbs!!! I know that he won very easily by 13 lengths, and it usually equates to 1lb per length, but that is if you take the form literally - what he should surely have taken into consideration is the level of opposition and their current form. It was a very poor race with 8 runners, 3 of which were so lowly rated that they ran from out of the handicap!! He could only beat what was there, and I personally think that a rise of 9 or 10lbs would have been more fair - but I would wouldn't I. This does mean that it is very important to try to get him out this week, when he will run with only a 7lb penalty, and in effect be 6lbs 'well in'. So let's hope that Huntingdon beats the freeze!! Everything else is in good form, E Major is A1 again and will have entries again next week, Kikos and Bobby Gee are both in at Wetherby on Saturday along with Bahreyna who is entered to make her debut in the concluding bumper. Bobby has been stepped up to 3m 1f which we feel will suit, but it was planned to get there gradually rather than jumping from 2 1/2 miles straight up to over 3, never mind we cannot help the weather.