The question on most people's minds as the new turf Flat season gets under way is: 'Should we be racing during the foot and mouth crisis?' I train horses and also farm cattle and sheep, so I can see both sides of the argument.

At Denton, we have disinfectant mats at the entrances to every building and the stable yards are kept separate. We're doing what we can.

But Agriculture Minister Nick Brown appears too calm for my liking. Why does he not make greater use of the Army? While they're hanging around, unable to go on manoeuvres, they could be put to greater use by putting out disinfectant mats, erecting road closure signs, helping to destroy livestock and disposing of carcasses.

I haven't yet heard a minister who knows how to spell out the full facts and Nick Brown is typical. He would be better suited to a TV program - 'The Comedians' or maybe 'The Brown and McRirick Show'.

Recently, I heard of a vet who had been called into help MAFF vets. He expected his job for them was to treat and destroy livestock. He was amazed to find he also had to arrange for sub-contractors to dig holes and make the pyres. Crazy! Carcasses are lying for up to a week on farms waiting to be burned. If I left a dead animal lying in a field for days I'd be prosecuted.

Do we really know that this disease cannot be spread by racing? It appears that we know no more about foot and mouth than we knew in 1967 - 34 years ago! Where we are able to race, why not have additional races, say an extra four or five, and extra meetings allocated to those courses.

Limit travelling to, say, 70 miles maximum from training yards, and better train staff and public on the dangers of infection.

I have felt since the start of the crisis that racing should have been suspended until cases were down to a minimum.

That said, my job is to train horses and look after owners' interests. Therefore, I will probably race sooner than I would like to.

JACK and Lynda Ramsden are back in business at Breconbrough, near Thirsk, having returned from a couple of years in France.

Lynda is a leading trainer and Jack complements the act with shrewd purchases and placing the horses to win.

John Ferneley, bought for 130,000 guineas, and Mastermind, at 100,000 guineas, are two of their purchases from last year's Newmarket Sales.

Both are Lincoln entries. John Ferneley won the 2000 Lincoln in a field of 24, while Mastermind ran in the highest company in France.

Mastermind was placed in his last three races over 1m2f. But at 6f, as a two-year-old on a galloping track Newmarket, he won, beating The Deputy, winner of The Santa Anita Derby since, and will have no trouble lasting the Lincoln mile. A likely each-way chance.

But the Lincoln winner in my eyes is Nimello, victorious at Wolverhampton on March 10 over a mile and a half.

Paul Cole, who trained last year's winner, looks to have mapped this race out for Nimello and he is ridden by last year's winning jockey Jimmy Fortune.

Nimello finished 12th last year to John Ferneley. Both the winner and the second were drawn one and two so a low draw looks favourable.

Answer the following question and win a trip to Denton for breakfast and to see Michael Dods' horses on the gallops: Who was the last Champion Jockey to win the Lincoln - and name the horse?

Entries to: Michael Dods competition, Sue Heath, The Northern Echo, Priestgate, Darlington, County Durham, DL1 1NF.

Column published : 24/03/2001