Thursday Racing Treble: Lingfield, Wincanton & Newcastle – March 7th
Four race meetings are left standing across the UK on Thursday after the recent heavy rain claimed the card at Clonmel in Ireland.
Afternoon jumps fare will come from Wincanton and Carlisle, alongside some quality all-weather action from the Polytrack at Lingfield, before Newcastle brings up the rear with an evening card on their Tapeta track. Our first of three fancies this midweek comes from the Listed Spring Cup Stakes at Lingfield.
Lingfield 3.20 – Spring Cup Stakes
Ahlain is 2-2 on synthetic surfaces and a contender for James Tate and Rossa Ryan, who won this race a year ago with Iconic Moment, while Jane Chapple-Hyam’s Habrdi ended 2023 with a trio of wins over 6f, 7f and then a mile at Brighton, Wolverhampton and Chelmsford. He’s an improving colt but will need to take another sizable step up in this Listed race.
John & Thady Gosden, meanwhile, send out Orne, the 100-rated standard bearer after his Group 2 second at Doha last month. He won the Group 3 Horris Hill at Newmarket (7f, heavy) on his final outing last term and is a lively danger to all, but QUEEN OF ZAFEEN could be the filly to beat for Richard Hughes and champion jockey William Buick.
The daughter of Ten Sovereigns made a winning start at Southwell over 7f in January and had no problems under a penalty over course and distance last month. She did that in the style of a filly ready to go up in class, cruising by the leader off a fast pace, and this rise in grade should not faze connections. She holds a 1,000 Guineas entry at Newmarket later this spring and can bag this prize on her way to bigger things.
Wincanton 3.30 – Wiltshire Air Ambulance Handicap Hurdle
To Somerset next and a chance for FADED FANTASY to impress for trainer Christian Williams in the Wiltshire Air Ambulance Handicap Hurdle. Formerly trained in Ireland by Ger Lyons on the Flat, the gelded son of Make Believe showed an aptitude for hurdling in the spring last year and duly won a Southwell maiden (2m4f, good) in June under Nick Scholfield.
He was a mixed bag in three runs after, but returned for his first start of 2024 with an encouraging third at Hereford (2m3f, soft) last month in a first-time tongue-tie. He has been eased a further 2lb, down to a mark of 103, after that and now gets the chance to further explore his stamina tackling this extended three miles.
The five-year-old is the youngster of this seven-runner party and could be up to showing his older rivals a clean pair of hooves if relishing this new trip.
Newcastle 6.00 – Novice Stakes
Despite representing top connections and being a well-bred son of Shamardal, INISHERIN went off as big as 50/1 in his debut at Newmarket in a mile maiden in September. He outran those odds, getting closest to Andrew Balding’s Belle Justum after the pair pulled clear of useful and experienced rivals that included Ortelius for Aidan O’Brien and Wafei for William Haggas.
That was an excellent effort in the circumstances and that maiden has produced three subsequent winners from amongst the beaten contingent. The presence of Balding’s Wolverhampton winner Kalpana, as well as Karl Burke’s First Alliance (a 500,000 guineas purchase) and Tom Clover’s Rogue Encore – both of which also finished second on their debuts – makes this a very interesting novice on the Newcastle’s evening card but Inisherin might be the one to collect the accolades this time.
Lingfield 3.20 – Queen of Zafeen
Wincaton 3.30 – Faded Fantasy
Newcastle 6.00 – Inisherin
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