All-Weather Championships at Lingfield

Good Friday always used to be a day of rest for the racing communtity but that has all changed with the introduction of the extremely valuable All-Weather Championships at Lingfield, with 7 strongly contested races over a variety of distances.

The two Godolphin trainers have been in tremendous form so far this year, and while Saeed bin Suroor hit the jackpot with the Dubai World Cup last week, it is Charlie Appleby who has been dominating the British all-weather season. Appleby has fancied runners in 5 of today´s races and can certainly expect to go back home with several winners to his name.

The most valuable race is the Middle Distance Championship at 16.45 with 124,500 GBP to the winner; as these are new races they so far have no black type status, but this will certainly follow and this race is worth much more than most German Group Ones. Tryster (Appleby/ William Buick) is the obvious one here; he has won all 4 starts this year - on 4 different all-weather tracks- and was especially impressive when winning the Winter Derby over this CD last time; Grendisar (Marco Botti/ Martin Harley) and Complicit (Paul Cole/ Jim Crowley) were not beaten that far in second and fourth, but there seems no obvious reason why they should be able to reverse the form, and if he gets the run of the race Tryster should win.

The Appleby/ Buick team can also be on the mark with Pretend in the sprint at 15.10, the 3yo sprint at 17.15 with Portamento- despite the fact that he has been off the track for 4 months, usually a disadvantage here - and Anglophile in the Marathon at 17.45, where fellow Godolphin Hidden Gold (bin Suroor/ James Doyle) could be the main danger. The only race in our view where they can be defeated is the 3yo mile at 15.40, in which Emirates Skycargo (Buick) and Four Seasons (Adam Kirby) face strong opposition from Lexington Times (Richard Hannon/ Richard Hughes) and Tempus Temporis (John Gosden/ Doyle).

Betting forecast:
1. Race: Fresles - Khatiba - Don`t Be
2. Race: Pretend - Chookie Royale - Alben Star
3. Race: Lexington Times - Tempus Temporis - Emirates Skycargo
4. Race: Sovereign Debt - Mindurownbusiness - Captain Joy
5. Race: Grendisar - Complicit - Solar Deity
6. Race: Portamento - Primrose Valley - Harry Hurricane
7. Race: Anglophile - Hidden Gold - Hurricane Higgins