Newcastle Friday

THE All-Weather Championships Mile Handicap went the way of course specialist Tyrrhenian Sea (Roger Varian/Jack Mitchell), who scored at 15/2 for a fourth success on the Tapeta at Newcastle. Connections had the choice of running here or in the Easter Classic over two furlongs further, but their choice with the stable favourite was vindicated.

Tyrrhenian Sea was held up on the stands rail as Flight Plan set the pace but he had to be switched to the centre to find room to throw down his challenge, and only got on top of Blue RC (James Tate/Hector Crouch) well inside the final furlong to win by a length and a quarter, looking full value for the margin and more.

The Midnite All-Weather Easter Classic is a grand title for a handicap, and the joint richest race on the card threw up the biggest surprise as victory went to The Glen Rovers (Lucy Wadham/Sean Dylan Bowen) at 33/1. The seven-year-old returned from an absence in November and had been below his best, but the five-time all-weather winner had slipped to a good mark and burst back to his best to beat Gaucher (Willie Mullins/Billy Loughnane) by half a length, with Paradias (Alan King/Rossa Ryan) just edged out of second by a short head in a whirlwind finish.

Gutsy

Timeforshowcasing (Charlie Johnston/Callum Shepherd) ran out a gutsy winner of the opening BetMGM Burradon Stakes on Newcastle’s All-Weather Finals day. A winner at Goodwood in September, but unwanted in the betting on her return, she drifted to an SP of 25/1, but defied any fitness concerns by digging deep to repel the strong late challenge of Padraig Dawn (Charlie Pike/Eddie Greatrex) who showed much improved form on the back of a Southwell win, but couldn’t quite get past the game winner, who was cut to 66/1 for the 1000 Guineas by Paddy Power on the back of this listed success.

Winning trainer Charlie Johnston told Sky Sports Racing: “I was wondering what people knew as her price kept drifting this morning but we came here pretty bullish.

“She’s a big strapping filly, she’d done plenty of work and was fit for today, but she should improve again. Connections tend to be pretty ambitious with these sorts of fillies.”

Doubling up

Al Najashi (Ollie Sangster/Billy Loughnane) gave his trainer a 40½/1 across-the-card double when landing the All-Weather 3-Year-Old Championship at odds of 7/2. The son of Territories bagged the stands rail in the closing stages despite being drawn in stall four and he finished with a rattle to beat stablemate Eternal Solace (Jo Mason) by two lengths.

Andrew Balding has been typically quickly into his stride this season and he landed the Fillies’ And Mares’ Championship with 11/8 favourite Stateira (Oisin Murphy), who led a furlong out and was driven out for a two-length victory over Indigo Dream (Ross O’Sullivan/Jamie Spencer).

Balding and Murphy then doubled their tally for the day in the finale as Berkshire Sundance got the better of Prydwen (George Scott/Danny Tudhope) in the All-Weather Easter Plate Marathon, with the winner of the two-mile contest returned at an SP of 16/1.

The front pair were always in the leading group with the winner coming from the widest stall and pouncing late against the stands rail to win by three and a half lengths.

Close finish

The Midnite All-Weather Sprint Handicap looked like it might fall again to Fivethousandtoone (Tim Easterby/David Allen), but the 2024 winner was nailed in the final strides by Wiltshire (William Haggas/Cieren Fallon), who got up to win by a length, such was the strength of his run. Wiltshire was a course and distance winner in 2024 but had been disappointing in recent times, and his return to form can be credited to wind surgery since finishing only a fair fifth at Lingfield in February.

Maureen Haggas told Sky Sports Racing: “We’ve tried to get him back on track and off a mark where he could run well and get some confidence and hopefully he can build on that now. He’s always had the ability but has had this niggling wind thing. He’s happier and more confident now we’ve sorted that, and the tongue strap helped as well.”

Lingfield

Over at Lingfield there were five Irish trainers trying their luck across the card, and it was the Ado McGuinness-trained Dark Ace who managed to get over the line in front in the Midnite All-Weather Vase Sprint Handicap of £65,000.00 over six furlongs.

Ridden in midfield by Oisin Orr, the four-year-old gelding was pushed into the lead 110yds out, with 9/4 favourite Uncle Don laying down a challenge, but unable to get closer than a neck to the 7/2 winner. Apache Outlaw, McGuinness’ second runner in the race, finished 11th.

Doncaster Saturday

William Hill Lincoln

THE flat turf season was ushered in in traditional style at Doncaster on Saturday where the William Hill Lincoln was the betting highlight, as it has been since 1965, when the spring meeting was switched to Town Moor from its original home at the Carholme racetrack in Lincoln, and for over a century at that venue.

The latest renewal went to the well-fancied Urban Lion (Jack Channon/Eddie Greatrex) who got the better of a stirring battle with Rogue Diplomat (James Owen/Harry Davies) to win a memorable contest by a nose. The 9/1 shot was providing his trainer with a 64/1 double on the card after Mezcala had struck in the colours of Jon and Julia Aisbitt (owners of 2025 Lincoln winner Godwinson) in the Spring Mile.

Botanical led the Lincoln field up the centre of the course and only ceded the overall advantage to Urban Lion at the furlong pole, with Rogue Diplomat joining the fray at the same point, and the front two had a ding-dong battle all the way to the line, with the result determined only on the nod, Urban Lion dipping at just the right time.

“I think the second probably headed him,” said a relieved Channon. “Eddie said he had to commit him a bit earlier than he wanted because everything had stopped in front and he battled back again.

“He’s a good horse and we knew there was one of these big races in him. I thought we were beat but Eddie got his head down on the line. He’s not going to go up massively in the handicap for that, he’ll be running in those big handicaps and we’ll try to get some blacktype for him as well.”

Docklands aims for Hong Kong

Docklands (Harry Eustace/Jamie Spencer) justified odds-on favouritism to win the William Hill Doncaster Mile, with the 8/11 market leader always in his comfort zone as he tracked the pace set by Volterra. Last season’s Queen Anne Stakes hero was unpenalised for the Group 1 success and soon had the race in safe keeping when Spencer gave him the office, winning by a length and a half from Volterra (Kevin Ryan/Kevin Stott).

“We’re here today with a lot of better horses because of him,” said Eustace of his stable stalwart. “He’s been such a star. He’s the flagbearer of our early years and he’s only six, so we’ve got this year with him at least but he’ll be a hard horse to replace.

“He’ll now go to Hong Kong at the end of April [for the Champions Mile] - he ran very well there last year. He’ll go to Ascot and then we’ll have to come up with a plan when we see how he is after that.”

Aramram steps up

The 12/1 shot Aramram (Richard Hannon/Sean Levey) gave his trainer/jockey combination a dream start to the campaign when stepping out of handicaps to win the Listed William Hill Cammidge Trophy, thereby providing Hannon and Levey with a double on the card.

Art Power showed his customary dash to lead early but was a spent force when Aramram swooped from off the pace to beat Jasour (Clive Cox/Jason Hart) by a length with Caburn (James Tate/Hector Crouch) a further length and a quarter back in third.

Hannon also struck in the opening Brocklesby Stakes, with A Bear Affair winning at 9/2 under a Levey drive and setting up the prospect of a trip to Royal Ascot. A Bear Affair looked well drilled as he beat Dance A Jig by three-quarters of a length and looks sharp enough to make his mark in better company having been picked up by Ross and Peter Doyle for 68,000gns at the Tattersalls Somerville Sale in September.