Winter Derby live on Sky Sports: Complete rider’s guide and expert verdict on Lingfield Saturday feature | Race News

Senior kind analyst Jamie Lynch delivers his verdict on Lingfield Park’s All-Climate showpiece, the BetUK Winter Derby, dwell on Sky Sports activities Racing on Saturday.

The 2022 Winter Derby renewal was arguably the most effective ever, as Alenquer beat Lord North in file time, with the pair every profitable Group One within the spring.

Lord North is again with presumably the identical program – a stepping stone to Dubai – which clearly obscures the in any other case easy and easy query of capability, a metric by which he has a head begin on the pitch.

Let’s take a detailed have a look at all of the racers for Saturday’s renewal, dwell on Sky Sports activities Racing.

Watch the BetUK Winter Derby from Lingfield Park dwell on Sky Sports activities Racing (Sky 415 | Virgin 535) on Saturday twenty fifth February.

1 – Forest of Dean

Jockey: Collen Storey; Coach: John & Thady Gosden

There are three issues in its favor. First, he is match and taking pictures, recent off a fast-track qualifying win at Newcastle the place he was behind Harrovian and King Of The South.

Second, his course craft is a bonus, having completed first and fourth in earlier editions of the Winter Derby, amongst different good efforts round Lingfield.

And thirdly, with age comes expertise, and, at seven, he is uncomplicated and unbound by ways, help property if, as appears doubtless, the race dies down. seems to be confused and messy.

Nevertheless, he’s method behind his secure mate Lord North on the numbers and little to no higher than most, and it is not like he is all of the sudden going to seek out some further gear or a number of further kilos to his liking. age.

Subsequently it turns into a sport of likelihood and to me there are greater priced horses simply as doubtless as Forest Dean to succeed in the rostrum.

2 – Fox Tales

Rob Hornby; Andrew Bald

A variety of – a lot of it murky – water has handed beneath the bridge because the summer season of 2021 when Foxes Tales gained the Golden Gates at Royal Ascot and the Group Three Rose Of Lancaster at Haydock, displaying kind that places it simply behind Lord North into this discipline.

Final season was just about a wash, along with his expertise on the wane and his mood on the rise, it appears, but it surely’s attention-grabbing that Andrew Balding is persevering with him in good firm, and having him neutered for winter might make a noticeable distinction. to him.

Rising optimism, the primary time is usually time to catch such characters – he gained on his reappearance as a three-year-old and completed second to Mostahdaf in a gaggle three for the primary time this yr. final.

Along with the potential uplifters, he is on the All-Climate for the primary time since his very first run in 2020. In brief, he is attention-grabbing due to his rear class in tandem with the possibly uplifting variables at play.

3 – Harrovian

Kieran O’Neill; John and Thady Gosden

He’s in his fifth racing season, and his profession has seemed to be a short-lived expertise, incomes simply £30,000 in prize cash, regardless of a triple-figure ranking with him for 33 months.

He ran nicely in his three begins at Lingfield, together with ending a respectful distance behind Missed The Minimize and Alger third within the Churchill in November, however has since swelled his strains when favourite for Newcastle qualifying gained by Forest Of Dean. .

If not earlier than, why now? However maybe the reply to the query of why he is right here is to serve his extra highly effective teammate Lord North, on the identical property.

Harrovian has raced Newcastle, and maybe he’ll present canter to take the ways out of the race and make the category depend, to Lord North’s profit.

4 – King of the South

Jamie Spencer; William Knight

Second within the Winter Derby Trial final yr, however he’s principally away from Lingfield (regardless of his desire for synthetics) as the opposite extra galloping All-Climate programs swimsuit his type a lot better.

Plus, proof mounts that the older he will get, the extra he wants a mile and a half – it has been greater than two years since he did not win that mile and 1 / 4 distance.

He completed behind Forest Of Dean and Harrovian in qualifying on that journey to Newcastle in January, recounting his tough activity in that race with higher energy at depth, on a cleaner monitor.

Except they go sturdy, which appears unlikely given the line-up, it is onerous to see King Of The South enjoying an enormous function.

5 – Lord North

Rab Havlin; John and Thady Gosden

He’s the eleventh highest paid British educated horse in historical past. That is fairly the catchphrase for a horse that does not fairly act like one of many greats. In fact, what issues as a lot as you make some huge cash is how a lot cash you make, and profitable a Sheema Classics and a half (to demise on the second probability) is clearly an enormous money cow .

However, to concentrate on the Dubai greenback is to underestimate its different highlights, together with its memorable rise within the 2020 Prince Of Wales’s Stakes, when the final time we noticed it was within the Coral-Eclipse wherein he was overwhelmed by lower than a size, and unfortunate to begin.

He is a category above these, however the burning query is whether or not the screws are tightened sufficient to point out he is a category above these, with a return journey to Meydan on the ‘horizon.

Sure, he was knocked down in a prep race final yr, however let’s not overlook it took file time and a Group One horse like Alenquer to beat him, and there is nothing its caliber on this space.

The likelihood is that Lord North wins, however is it a random likelihood, as it’s not his principal goal, after a protracted layoff. I’ll come.

6 – Lucandre

Andrea Atzeni; George Boulanger

It seems to be like a case after the Lord Mayor’s present for Lucander, whose principal goal of being purchased by George Baker late final yr was to shine at Sakhir. It was mission completed as he gained not as soon as however twice in Bahrain, together with an area group simply two final week.

This way, in concept, places him on par with most right here outdoors of Lord North, however his schedule inevitably raises doubts concerning the probability of seeing a full-powered model of Lucander, given plenty of journey and little restoration time. Plus, he is not used to all-weather racing, having accomplished so solely as soon as earlier than (in 2019).

7 – Pistol

David Probert; John Ryan

Far past his depth, as was the case in final yr’s Winter Derby when he was 150/1 and non-threatening. Slipped to odds of simply 78 as of late, lowest ever within the handicap, and a hurdles expertise earlier within the month got here to nothing.

8 – Tyrrhenian Sea

David Egan; Roger Varian

The race isn’t a magnificence contest, which is a disgrace for him, as he would win all of the prizes as such a lovely and flashy spectator. Though he’s 5 years previous, there’s nonetheless a way of unfinished enterprise about him as he has but to succeed in the heights promised by his debut.

It would solely be the tenth race of his life and it’s important that Roger Varian remains to be considering huge, therefore this entry, and returning to All-Climate could be the choice of him, remembering he was the ten favourite /11 for the Easter Basic final Good Friday.

He seemed to be outdone that day, having traded at 33/1 on the run, and has been restricted to a mile since, but when he has to final the journey anyplace will probably be round Lingfield.

His further pace (in comparison with the remainder right here) will matter so much if it will get tactical, which is extra doubtless than not.

In a race the place all the opposite runners confirmed their hand, way back in some circumstances, the unknown qualities of the Tyrrhenian Sea set him aside from the gang, in a optimistic method, and he’s maybe the most probably to rise if Lord North falls wanting health.

JAMIE LYNCH’S VERDICT

It is easy to say it is Lord North’s race to lose, due to his overwhelming energy over the opposition, but it surely’s additionally onerous to row wholesale with him disagreeing, understanding that, because the final yr it was his warm-up after a layoff for the Sheema Basic, particularly as Lingfield is a reasonably unforgiving monitor for any rust.

The Tyrrhenian Sea makes extra sense instead, however towards the tide – as massive as 18/1 on the opening present – FOX TALES is simply too tempting for me to withstand, given that he’s comfortably the second finest horse right here on his previous kind and the hope that the brand new components for him – primarily being neutered – will act as a catalyst for a comeback .

Watch the BetUK Winter Derby from Lingfield Park dwell on Sky Sports activities Racing (Sky 415 | Virgin 535) on Saturday twenty fifth February.