The name ‘Winter Derby’ will always conjure-up smirks from some racing fans and this G3 Lingfield encounter is unlikely to ever satisfy all of the purists, but it’s the first Group contest of the year and a reminder that Newmarket is not too far away. This season’s renewal takes place on Saturday 25th February and we already have a live ante-post market.
View Ante-Post Market Now!Decorated Knight
Roger Charlton’s 5-year-old is in terrific form, having finally gotten to grips with black-type races. Victory in the Goodwood Festival Stakes came before a very solid effort in the Diomed Stakes, where Tullius beat him by a short-head.
Decorated Knight proved too strong for Portage, in the Meld Stakes and his performance at Lingfield on Saturday indicates that he remains on an upward curve. Harry Charlton spoke of his future prospects, after the race:
“He’ll take a bit of stopping in the Winter Derby. The other option is the Jebel Hatta on March 4. It’s a prep race for the Duty Free on Dubai World Cup night. Depending on how the Jebel Hatta went, you could consider running in the Duty Free. That’s quite a valuable proposition for a Galileo entire, who is very closely related to Gleneagles.”
Mutakayyef
This Sea The Stars gelding is now a 6-year-old, who has won 3 of his 13 races. 2 of those wins came back-to-back last Summer. He finished a length ahead of Sovereign Debt, in the Ganton Stakes, before crushing the likes of Dutch Connection and Kodi Bear in the Summer Mile Stakes at Ascot.
William Haggas felt confident enough to launch him into G1 company and he didn’t disappoint. 3rd place in the York International Stakes was more than respectable. Postponed and Highland Reel were the only horses that beat Mutakayyef to the winning-post, although Haggas made clear that there is a chance that he will skip this race:
“Mutakayyef is fine but he’ll need a run before the Dubai Turf and whether it’s here in the Winter Derby or in Dubai in the Group 1 Jebel Hatta on Super Saturday has yet to be decided.”
Others that have been attracting ante-post bets include Arab Spring, Team Talk, Grendisar, Battalion and Sir Michael Stoute’s Convey.
Racing At Lingfield
This is an extremely busy British racecourse, which is to be found in the county of Surrey, Southern England. Like Kempton Park, Lingfield is an all-weather race track. The horses run on a synthetic surface. There is also a turf track here, which is used for both flat and National Hunt racing.
Lingfield has great transport links, by both road and rail. Lingfield Railway Station is right next to the course and direct trains run from London and other major conurbations.
A Royal Awakening
A relative latecomer, at least when stood in comparison to other British racecourses, Lingfield was opened by King Edward VII (a few years before he was crowned). His title was Prince of Wales, at that time. He gave his permission for the Lingfield course to incorporate the Royal Feathers into it’s crest. Initially, only National Hunt racing was held here. It wasn’t until the year 1894 that the course was allowed to introduce flat racing.
Lingfield managed to keep holding meetings throughout the First World War. Interruptions did come with the advent of the Second World War, however. The War Office needed to use the property for military purposes. Following the signing of the Peace Treaty, flooding began to be a problem at Lingfield. This was finally treated in the 1980s, during which time a golf course was also built at the facility.
Arena Purchase
A company called Arena Leisure bought the course in 1991. It was then that the decision was made to install a Polytrack. Construction was completed in 2001 and was an immediate success. A new grandstand was also built and better horses began to race at Lingfield. The versatility of this racecourse has led it to become one of the most used tracks in Great Britain. It can stay open for business, when traditional tracks have to close during bitter Winter months.
While it is very much a modern venue, Lingfield stands in beautiful and historic Surrey countryside. A day out at Lingfield is not expensive and you won’t need to get dressed-up. Be aware that some evening meetings will be poorly attended. The purpose of these fixtures is to provide betting opportunities, more than an evening out.
Room To Manouvre!
On very cold winter evenings you are only likely to see a couple of hundred spectators at Lingfield Racecourse. However, huge sums of money will be bet on the races, either in betting shops or online. Rest assured that you will not miss a single betting opportunity at Lingfield, when you create your very own RaceBets account. We offer betting on all of the races and on those taking place at other UK all-weather venues. As well as betting on UK races, you can also bet on the action taking place in Ireland, USA, South Africa, France, Dubai, India, Hong Kong, Macau, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand and many other great racing nations.
View Ante-Post Market Now!
