It can feel like you are marking time in January after the thrills of the King George on Boxing Day and the promise of the Cheltenham Festival drawing ever closer.
But there are certainly some crucial races to be enjoyed and none less than the Cotswold Chase at Cheltenham, which is a good guide for the Gold Cup in March.
Make sure you’re in the know about all of the month’s racing in the new Racing Ahead! Here’s what features…
FERGUSON: Paul Ferguson on the highs and lows of jump season so far
ANTE-POST: Paul Jacobs comes up with three big numbers to exploit
PADDOCK PICKS: Andrew Ayres draws our attention to future winners
ALL WEATHER: Ian Heitman keeps a close eye on the winter Flat action
JAPAN CUP: Helen Edwards reports from the great Tokyo race day
INTERVIEW: Jockey Marco Ghiani is put under the microscope
ICE ICE BABY: Simon Nott spends an icy weekend at Cheltenham
OPTIMUM: Find a system and stick with it for the long haul
YESTERDAY’S HERO: Graham Buddry looks back at Kribensis
RACING METHOD: Making bumper profits from the NH Flat races
SPEED FIGURES: Cyrname leaps to the head of the stats with victory at Ascot
TIPPING SERVICE: Make sure you get what it says on the tin