Best bets for the All-Weather Championships Finals Day at Lingfield Park
Good Friday 19th April 2019 is All-Weather Championships Finals Day at Lingfield Park. It has been a cracking season of All-Weather horse racing this winter and I am glad to report I have nicked a couple of bob along the way. Saturday afternoon sees the culmination of the season with a seven-race, £1,000,000 card at Lingfield, featuring the six All-Weather Championship Finals.
The card gets underway at 1.30 with the Sun Racing All-Weather Championships Apprentice Handicap but I am leaving that alone. My fancies for the six big races follow; what better way to spend a Bank Holiday than nicking a few quid off the old satchel swingers :o)
2.00 Betway All-Weather Marathon Championships Conditions Stakes
French raider Amade went to the head of the market off the back of an impressive win at Chelmsford in March in the Bet totequadpot At totesport.com Conditions Stakes (AW Championships Fast-Track Qualifier) over two-mile; Aircraft Carrier over seven lengths behind in 4th with Grey Britain 5th. He had won at Kempton in January also over two-mile having been gelded over the winter. The 5yo also has wins at Deauville and Marseille Pont-de-Vivaux on artificial surfaces out in France to his name. He is relatively lightly raced and seems to be improving still for the step-up to longer distances. Ryan Moore was booked early to ride. Help yourself to the 5-4 as I have. Aircraft Carrier heads the home challenge but has it all to prove after that Chelmsford defeat as does Grey Britain who was further back!
2.30 Ladbrokes All-Weather Fillies' And Mares' Championships Conditions Stakes
Tiger Eye was on my mind for this but doesn’t line-up. Island Of Life has been going well over the winter and thoroughly deserves her place in the line-up but will need to improve again. Castle Hill Cassie is decent but it would appear is better on the Tapeta than the Polytrack here. Gorgeous Noora has been running well over shorter but has only been tried over this far once when finding plenty of trouble in running at Chelmsford last summer. Rasima is arguably is better over further but won the 1m fast track qualifier here in November to secure her place. David Egan should be able to get a great pitch breaking from stall two and I would expect to see him turning on the taps someway from home to make this a real test. The grey should be able to burn them off and I have a bit the 5-1.
3.05 Betway All-Weather Sprint Championships Conditions Stakes
I am all over Kachy and backed him at Evens on Betfair a few weeks back; he is now odds-on across the board. He smashed the course record when winning the Listed Cleves Stakes last time and now has three of the top seven fastest times over 6f at Lingfield to his name. All being well he will burst from the stalls again and that’s the last the opposition will see of him!
3.40 Ladbrokes 3-Year-Old All-Weather Championships Conditions Stakes
I backed Red Impression for this ante-post at 9-4 having been impressed with her first two runs that of course, both resulted in victories. Sadly we will next see her in the new Listed race for three-year-old fillies over six furlongs at Chelmsford in early May it would appear. The race now looks quite open. Deputise has been winning but never by far and I am not sure he can be trusted. Concierge had a couple of runs over further out in Doha chasing big purses but is better judge on his FTQ win at Newcastle. Pizzicato was gelded last back end and his form figures for the three runs since on the All-Weather in France read 1, 2, 1. If they go off hell for leather, which they may well do, his ability to stay further will come into play. At 9-2 I can see this one going to France as well.
4.15 Betway Easter Classic All-Weather Middle Distance Championships Conditions Stakes
Wissahickon is odds-on but I would not be offering anyone Evens! An easy winner of the Listed Quebec Stakes and Winter Derby Trial he duly went on the win the G.3 Winter Derby itself at long odds-on. Barring a disaster it is hard to see anything in the line-up lowering his colours here. 4-11 is the best price you’ll get.
4.45 Sun Racing All-Weather Mile Championships Conditions Stakes
I wondered if Matterhorn might come for this but he goes in the Easter classic. Oh This Is Us never got involved over 7f at Wolverhampton last time but the run qualified him for Finals Day. He won over track and trip here prior to that in February going away at the finish, having finished second to Hathal in a 1m1½f conditions event at Wolverhampton earlier that month. I think connections just wanted him qualified and you can totally discount his last effort, take a bit of the 11-2 and wait for the real Oh This Is Us to show-up!
Be lucky