THE All-Weather Championships in Britain are heating up nicely in advance of Finals Day in April (for which there are four Fast-Track Qualifiers at Dundalk in March). The Listed Winter Derby Trial at Lingfield Park on Saturday was a particularly classy affair, dominated by horses that had already won at group-race level. In the event, the Meld Stakes winner Decorated Knight (99) got the verdict by a short-head from the September Stakes winner Arab Spring.

Sectionals show that a good early pace slackened mid-race, leading to a fast finish. The overall time inevitably suffered and came back at 99 for a first two who had personal bests of 112 and 111 previously.

There was a similar pace scenario in the Listed Cleves Stakes earlier on the Lingfield card, with the admirable Lancelot Du Lac coming out best in a bunched finish with a timefigure of just 92: he has run as fast as 113 in the not-too-distant past.

These are early days in the road to the US Triple Crown and its fillies’ equivalent, but a couple of hopefuls ran 118 Timeform US figures at the weekend. Irish War Cry downed Classic Empire - last year’s champion juvenile - in the Holy Bull Stakes at Gulfstream, while Unique Bella looked potentially top-notch in romping home in the Grade 2 Las Virgenes Stakes at Santa Anita.