Winter Derby at Lingfield

Lingfield stages its best all-weather card of the year today with the Group Three Winter Derby at 16.30 backed up by two listed races. Premio Loco (Chris Wall/ George Baker) is a top miler, but showed he gets this 10 furlongs trip by beating Cai Shen (Richard Hannon/ Richard Hughes) in last year´s Winter Derby, and we expect him to do so again. However he must give 5lbs to the very promising Farraaj (Roget Varian/ Andrea Atzeni) and this will not be easy; Farraaj, who ran in the Breeders Cup Juvenile in 2011, was an easy listed winner over this CD on his only start since and looks well up to group class.

Last year´s winner also turns up again in the listed 5 furlongs sprint at 15.20; this is Fratellino (Alan Mccabe/ Martin Harley)., amnd although her has not won since, he can go cllose again. Main opposition comes from Tarooq (Stuart Williams/ Sean Levey), who is out of a German classic winner, and Intransigence (Andrew Balding/ Liam Keniry), who are both running for the first time in a listed event. There is little between them judging on last Saturday´s 6 furlongs race at Wolverhampton, where the former won by a head - his 5th win in succession -, but we feel that Intransigence may be better suited by this trip.

The other listed race is over 7 furlongs for 3yo´s at 15.55 and with most of the runners making their seasonal debut, not easy to sum up. Richard Hannon has won this race 3 times in the last 5 years so his Emell (Richard Hughes) will almost certainly be favourite and will possibly be returned the winner.

Betting forecast:
1. Race: Wordiness - Beat Route - Stentorian
2. Race: Farmleigh House - Bear Behind - Ladies Are Forever
3. Race: Emell - Maxentius - Hoarding
4. Race: Farraaj - Premio Loco - Cai Shen
5. Race: Erodium - Spring Tonic - Jolaine
6. Race: Benzanno - Grey Mirage - Mia`S Boy
7. Race: Buckland - Cool Sky - Aquilonius