Tuesday 19 February

Benefit Cut is declared to run in Doncaster tomorrow (Tom O'Brien rides).Benny is a lovely horse, and will certainly appreciate the better going up there tomorrow. He has still got a lot to learn about being a racehorse, and tomorrow will be another step in his education in what looks like being a hot novice, but he is fit and well and should run a nice race for his owners Howard and Terence. Interesting to watch a couple of horses run yesterday that give us a handle on our horses. firstly Yesyoucan, who was 3/4 length behind San Telm in Haydock earlier in the season (off level weights), and was subsequently 36 lengths behind ST in another haydock Handicap, romped away with a handicap hurdle in Carlisle yesterday off of a mark of 132 - so ST looks like he is nicely treated when he returns! As you know I have been having a chat with the handicapper about Tannermans rise in the ratings, and on all the evidence so far I look to be correct, as the horse that was 3 lengths in front of him last time, and raised 5 lbs for coming second, was well beaten in Southwell. Yesterdays race came too late for the handicapper to change Tannerman this morning, but hopefully he will see his way to dropping him back into his original grade next week! If that happens we will still be able to enter his original targets on March 4th in Southwell., if he doesn't we will wait a few days to the weekend of the 9th and 10th.Smart Exit is still on target to run on Feb 27th in Lingfield.