Hi all,

Inside today’s main piece I’m looking at a good Lingfield card for All Weather Trials Day.

It’s a new month and the first day of Spring well it is according to meteorologists and given Cheltenham is a Spring festival then I don’t disagree. However, the weather seems oblivious to the date, as the past few days have been far from springlike.

Field Sizes Disappoint at Newbury's Premier Racing Card Despite Prize Money

Saturday’s final declarations came out on Thursday. It’s Premier Racing card at Newbury but not one of the seven races has a double figure field. Even the Greatwood Gold Cup has only nine runners and that’s before any non-runners. Given the prize money on offer that’s poor. Mind you we only had seven runners last year. Given the ground is supposedly bordering on heavy maybe it's understandable that there aren’t that many runners. Still, it’s a race that should be attracting 12 to 14 runners.  Even Doncaster’s At Doncaster Grimthoprpe Handicap Chase has managed to get 13 runners. The field sizes at Kelso have held up well and it’s a maximum field of 18 for the Morebattle Hurdle, which is excellent.

Friday Preview

For fans of all-weather racing, Lingfield presents an enticing card this Friday afternoon. Dubbed as the All-weather Finals Trial Day, the event features seven handicap races, each offering £23,193 to the winner. Notably, every race boasts a field size of at least nine runners, promising an engaging afternoon of racing. What's not to like? If this was a Saturday card you certainly wouldn’t be complaining.

Newbury's two-day fixture gets underway, yet aside from the Conditional Jockey's race, the remaining five races have failed to draw more than seven runners each. Nonetheless, it's worth noting that despite the limited field sizes it’s an interesting enough card.

Lingfield

The competitiveness of today's Lingfield card is noteworthy, it must be because Victor Value subscribers are getting their first selections of the week. Anyway, I’m looking at three of the Lingfield races.

2:37 – BetMGM AWC 3 Year Old Trial Handicap (Class 2) – 6f

Brave Empire was back to winning ways over C&D last month. Only raised 1lb for his latest success but stall 11 could be better. Blue Prince was a ¾ length third to Brave Empire in that race and wasn’t as well positioned as the winner that day. More strongly run will suit and he’s another with strong claims.

3:12 – BetUK AWC Sprint Trial Handicap (Class 2) – 6f

Baldomero doesn’t find winning easy (2 wins from 36 runs) but he’s a consistent performer who can normally be relied upon to give his running. I probably wouldn’t be interested in him from a win perspective, but the first time blinkers go on for his return to 6f. Could today be his day? Batal Dubai is another consistent all-weather sprint handicapper. A good ¾ length 2^nd of 6 at Kempton 16 days ago. Same mark here and should go close from stall 3. Silky Wilkie hasn’t been quick enough on his last two starts over 5f so maybe needs a step up to 6f. Has dropped down to handy mark and also has good low draw to work with.

3:47 – BetUK AWC Marathon Trial Handicap (Class 2) – 2m

Duty Of Care was a good 4 ½ length 2^nd of 11 at Kempton 27 days ago. Needs this run to qualify for the final of this race but likely to be in the mix off the same mark as last time.  Stall 12 isn’t ideal though.

Spartan Army has won his last two starts the latest of those successes coming at Southwell 6 days ago. Has a 5lb penalty to carry in a better race but he’s going the right way and the hat trick could be on.

Red Flyer was beatena neck by Spartan Army over C&D last time. He gets a 4lb pull in the weights and is entitled to beat that one on the book. The winner has improved to win again but Red Flyer should be in the mix.

First Emperor has been in good form of late and a strong stayer. He’s down to his last winning mark and if he gets a good pace to chase, I can see him out running his big odds.

Friday Selection:

Lingfield

3:12 – Baldomero – 13/2 @ Coral & Ladbrokes.

Good luck with your Friday bets.

John