A sensational seven-race card to bring the curtain down on the all-weather season at Lingfield Park this afternoon with five of the contests' live on Channel 4 for our Good Friday enjoyment.
We begin with a 7f contest for fillies' and mares' and Roger Varian's Khatiba (1.40) has been laid out for this race since scoring at Wolverhampton back in November. There is plenty of pace in the race which should suit the 4-year-old who has never finished outside the first two in five starts on an all-weather surface, although this is her first run at Lingfield. She is a 3/1 shot at BetVictor and that looks a fair price in a competitive opener.
Pretend (2.10) is the first of a number of well fancied runners for trainer Charlie Appleby and Dubai World Cup winning jockey William Buick. The selection (11/8 at BetVictor) has a cracking draw in stall two and has been a revelation since reverting to sprint distances including when a cosy winner over the minimum trip last time.
Godolphin own three of the seven runners in the Mile and preference for Tempus Temporis (2.40) is marginal in what could easily turn into a tactical affair although Emirates Skyline did make all last time. A strong pace would certainly suit Four Seasons who looked to be caught out by the slow early fractions when fourth behind Lexington Times last time. The latter is 7/4 market leader but the vote goes to John Gosden's Tempus Temporis who is 5/2 at BetVictor.
Sovereign Debt (3.15) is 10lbs better off with Mindyourownbusiness for the three-quarters-of-a-length he was behind the Varian runner over C&D back in February and that should be enough to give Dandy Nicholls and the north a winner. The selection finished runner up in the Group 1 Lockinge Stakes back in 2013 when trained by Michael Bell and 3/1 looks a fair price with BetVictor given he has a decent draw in stall six.
Big Baz would have been the each way selection but he will do well to get competitive from stall eleven in such a competitive event.
It is hard to get away from the chances of the progressive Tryster (3.45) who has won his last four since switching to the all-weather back in January. Buick takes over from Adam Kirby on the 4-year-old who is odds on 4/6 at BetVictor to complete a nap hand for the Boys In Blue.
The grey Portamento heads the market at 15/8 for the 3-y-old sprint event over the flying five but he lacks a recent run and has a modest draw to overcome in stall seven. Ryan Moore takes the ride on Merdon Castle (4.15) and the David Elsworth trainer runner can justify each way support at 8/1 and reverse C&D running with the progressive filly Primrose Valley who has a wide draw to overcome.
There is no guaranteed pace in the stayers' event which finishes the card and Godolphin, again have a very strong hand with Anglophile and Hidden Gold (4.45) and preference for the latter is marginal. The selection (7/2 at BetVictor) has won all three starts on an all-weather surface and broke the track record when scoring over 1m 5f here back in October.
The selection showed she gets this 2m trip when scoring at Wolverhampton back in December and she has been given a break since that success having been kept on the go since last May. Both she and Appleby's Anglophile could go to the very top of the staying tree this season and this is a terrific finale to what promises to be a wonderful days racing.
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