Sussex racehorse trainer is Lady of the Month

Champagne Lanson has announced that Pulborough-based racehorse trainer Dina Smith has won The Lanson Lady of the Month Award for March 2001.

Dina wins three magnums of Lanson champagne and a certificate, which will be presented at Brighton races by last year¨s holder of The Field Cup Ladies National Hunt Championship, Emily Jones.

Emily will present the award on behalf of The Amateur Jockeys Association (AJA), who organise the awards for Lanson Champagne.

This season, Dina has made a successful comeback into the training ranks, after taking 12 years out to raise her family. The highlight came on 10 March this year when the five-year-old gelding, Ibal, won the Sunderlands Imperial Cup at Sandown.

This was closely followed by a good second in the Cordon Bleu Handicap Hurdle at Aintree on Grand National day.

“For a trainer with only seven horses, Dina has notched up some remarkable successes this season,” said Sandy Murphy of the AJA. “We are delighted to be able to make this presentation to her at Brighton today (12 April).

Dina joins January and February winners, Jo Redman (stable lass for Lady Rebecca) and Joanna Badger in going forward to the final for the Lanson Lady of the Year Award, which will be presented early in 2002.

She was nominated for the award by the Lanson judging panel of Clare Balding, John Francome, Howard Wright and Sandy Murphy.