Martin Dixon

Mick Appleby will bid to begin the new year with a bang when stable star Raasel lines out in the Dubai Dash at Meydan. Appleby will run four horses in total at Meydan over the coming weeks and months, all of whom cost just over £60,000 combined, which illustrates the Northern England-based trainer's ability to sniff out a bargain at the sales.    In this week's Starfield Stud-sponsored Conversations Q&A, Appleby discusses his approach to sourcing talent, speaks out on the poor prize-money in Britain and how difficult it is...

   He may be best known for his role as presenter and pundit with Racing TV, but Chris Dixon has also carved out a reputation for being able to find bargain horses to run under the banner of The Horse Watchers, of which his brother Martin also plays an integral role.    The Horse Watchers have had a lot to shout about down through the years, with the owners approaching 100 winners all told, but the best may yet be to come on Saturday when the Mick Appleby-trained Raasel (GB)...