Thursday 8th January 2015

We have our first runner of 2015 this afternoon with Ebony Express who lines up in the 1:10 at Catterick.

The handicapper has given our horse a rating of 136 based on his debut win, although were two from two Ebony Express was a 1-7 shot last time out and nobody learnt much so the rating is based on his debut effort when EE jumped just 4 hurdles due to the low sun. We don’t know if 136 is on the high side or fair but we should learn a bit more today.

Ebony Express did hold an entry for the Tolworth but didn’t run as we wanted to give him a bit more experience over hurdles and felt he wasn’t quite ready for that type task yet so were running in another novice with a double penalty and that’s a big ask. Giving 12lb to the smart ex flat horse Argent Knight is going to be very difficult whilst 16lb to the highly regarded mare Lady Buttons could be impossible.

We’re just hoping for a nice effort and get a bt more experience into the horse, win or lose Ebony will be qualified for handicaps after today.

Ensure you keep with Kingsmere who I put on the news page yesterday, the horse travelled like the best in the race until two out where the soft ground just found him out, back on a decent surface Kingsmere has a nice race in him and will be a good price.