WHAT I look forward to more than anything else during the winter is the start to the flat season, but this was marred with a telephone call early Sunday morning to give me the tragic news that Hong Kong apprentice Wai 'Willy' Kan had died from the injuries she received in a race at Sha Tin.

Willy, only 20 years old, was a lovely girl who I gave a ride to at Ripon in July on Swan at Whalley after meeting her one morning on Kevin Ryan's gallops. She was a very good rider with beautiful balance and during the two months she was in this country we became friends. Only recently she rode in the Hong Kong Derby which is quite an honour for an apprentice. All who had the pleasure to meet such a lovely girl will be saddened by this tragic news and such a loss to racing. Willie was set to return to Thirsk this summer to ride out for Dandy Nicholls and Kevin Ryan.

Thursday is the start of 1999 Flat season and I have some outstanding news of horses who are pleasing their trainers on the gallops. Also some very promising two-year-olds who will be running early season which I noted as being very impressive on the gallops are the three-year-old Amaranth and four-year-old Bawsian. Do not miss these. We open the season with four horses we intend to run at Hamilton next Monday and I am very hopeful of an each way yankee. Ribble Assembly is in great form and runs his best race first time out. Last year he won for us at 20-1 first time out.

Ribble Princess has really matured and strengthened since her operation in October. This beautiful daughter of Selkirk really has class written all over her. I will be very disappointed if she's not in the first three. A horse who has wintered well and has impressed us all on the gallops is The Nurse running in the colours of Candice Reilly of Thorneyholme Hall, Dunsop Bridge.

And, finally, on March 29, the fourth leg of our each way yankee is Saffizz, our new Safawan addition. He is Kevin Ryan's best two-year-old at this stage and there are still a couple of shares left at £1,000 to include all training fees and race tickets to November 99 when all prize money and the sale of the horsse money will be shared equally.

I have some early Jack Berry two-year-olds for your notebook - Amico d'oro, Garth Pool, Janette Parkes, Red Star, Red Heather, Swing the Tide, William the Lion. We had a great start with Jack Berry's youngest last season.

Ace of Parkes is the older horse to follow of Jacks. I intend to run both Swan at Whalley and Lady Iona at Musselburgh on Thursday week, April 1. Both horses are looking great but more about them next week. On Thursday, the first day of Doncaster, I've had a very strong word for Generous Libra and in the Brocklesby the first two-year-old race of the season, there's a strong word for Jack Berry's Red Star, but my money will be on Lancashire-born trainer Martyn Wane's Top of the Class. I was very impressed with him on the gallops last week so, if he runs, I will be on.

On Friday I will be having an each way bet on Rathclougheendancer of Kevin Ryan - this Coloned Colins colt looks spot on.

Next week I will bring you Martyn Wane's horses to follow. Have a good week.

TIPS FOR THE WEEK: Wednesday (Chepstow): Head Gardner (nap)

Thursday (Doncaster): Generous Libra (nap), Top of the Class (ew)

Friday (Doncaster): Rathclougheendancer (nap)

Saturday (Doncaster): Captain Scott (nap), Amaranth in the Lincolnshire Handicap (double nap)

Monday (Hamilton): Ribble Assembly (nap), Ribble Princess (ew), The Nurse (ew), Saffizz (ew)

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.