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Tanya's Blog - 20th January 2012

DISTIME was due to run at Wetherby on Saturday before that meeting fell victim to the frost. The wait for his appearance hasn’t been long as he runs in the 2.40 Catterick this afternoon. Promising conditional Dean Pratt takes off a valuable seven pounds. The key line of form is his penultimate start when Distime was only beaten a length by Barbatos.

Sire de Grugy steps on the racecourse for the first time this season and his performance will be a major focal point after he was flagged up by Pricewise as one of his selections for the Betfair Hurdle at Newbury on Saturday February 11.

Today he does though have to concede chunks of weight to the likes of Highway Code who loves a heavy surface and Cotillion who arrives here having run a blinder when third to the gamble Ciceron at Sandown recently. Charm School the 2009 November Handicap winner and bought out of John Gosden’s yard has his handicap debut. I’m torn between Sire de Grugy as he is class and Charm School, but seeing as though the latter will be in receipt of over two stone, I go for CHARM SCHOOL.

A solid start for my golfers in the Humana Challenge, Chris DiMarco is tied 31st on -4 and Justin Leonard is a shot behind, however Matt Kuchar had a horror round with four bogeys, three of which were on par 3s, he has to tighten up his driving, as he is well out of contention this week.

Off now to continue writing columns and doing stats for not only tomorrow at Ascot and Haydock but for the Cheltenham Festival as well. Hope you all have a prosperous day and all your selections come in.

POINTERS

Mark Johnston has had four winners from his last six runners at Lingfield

Venetia Williams and Aidan Coleman have teamed up for six winners from their last 13 runners

David Evans has had three winners and a second from his last five National Hunt runners

When Shane Kelly and Jeremy Noseda team up at Wolverhampton they have a 30% strike rate

When Kieren O’Neill and Richard Hannon team up at Wolverhampton they have a 36% strike rate