All-Weather Finals Day: Trainer quotes for Newcastle on Good Friday

13:50 Newcastle: BetMGM All-Weather 3 Year Old Championships Handicap

Andrew Balding, trainer of Silent Strike: “He was a late starter and has a similar profile to Berkshire Whisper. While the handicapper has not taken any chances with an opening mark of 90, he is improving all the time and I do think he should be competitive off that rating.”

Ollie Sangster, trainer of Al Najashi and Eternal Solace: “Al Najashi has progressed nicely through the ranks this winter and we have purposely freshened him up. He is off a career-high mark, so we will find out whether the handicapper has him in his grip, but I would be hopeful of another positive performance. Eternal Solace has form with Ten Carat Harry earlier in the season. She ran well in her prep for this and deserves to take her chance.”

Ed Walker, trainer of Northern Empire: “I have always thought of him as quite a smart horse. He was outstayed over a mile by a nice Teofilo colt [Guildmaster] of Godolphin’s, so we dropped him back to seven and he dominated from the front. Tom Marquand rode him that day and felt he had bags of speed. We are taking a punt coming back to six, but we think he might get away with it on a stiff track like Newcastle. Ashley Lewis takes a handy 5lb off and we think he will run a big race.”

Jamie Osborne, trainer of Ten Carat Harry: “This has been the plan since he won off 90 at Newcastle in January. I was worried January to April was going to be too long, so we gave him a run in the Spring Cup and he acquitted himself well. I think the stiff six at Newcastle is more to his liking, although the draw [14] could have been kinder. He is ready to run his best race, it is just a question of whether there will be something better handicapped against him.”

James Ferguson, trainer of Sparksmith: “This is a big step up for him, but we think he deserves to be there. He is improving with every run. I thought he was unlucky not to win at Kempton with the head bob, as we were in front before and after the line. I think the stiff track at Newcastle will help him, while we are taking 7lb off with Harry Vigors, who has had a sit on the horse at home. I think he is well handicapped.”

Karl Burke, trainer of Three Non Blondes: “She has done well over the winter and has come back good from a little break. We will find out here whether she is well handicapped or not. I would be hopeful rather than confident.”

Richard Hannon, trainer of Saffron Dandy: “She won the trial at Lingfield and then we had to back her up relatively quickly to get qualified. She is a scopey filly and I am pretty sure there is more improvement in her.”

Mick Appleby, trainer of Jungle Ruler: “He is a decent horse. We freshened him up a bit after his two runs in January, so he should come forward from his run at Southwell last time. The six furlongs at Newcastle should suit him. I can see him running a good race.”

Hollie Doyle, rider of Rogue Supremacy: “He is a horse we have not had too long. He won a nursery off 87 as a two-year-old and then was only beaten a neck in the Sirenia Stakes, which he probably paid the price for in terms of a handicap mark. He is down to 94 now and I think Newcastle will suit him.”

Ian Williams, trainer of One And Gone: “He has been running well in competitive races. He gets in with a low weight and, although he will be taking on a classy type of horse, we have had this pencilled in his calendar for a long time.”

14:25 Newcastle: BetMGM Fillies' And Mares' Championships Handicap

Andrew Balding, trainer of Stateira: “She won well at the trial meeting in January. This has been the aim since then and her preparation has gone well. She will be giving a fair chunk of weight away to most of the field, but she is a classy filly and should go well.”

James Horton, trainer of Fouette: “She has wintered well. We decided to give her a break because she had plenty of racing during the backend of last year. We have trained her with this in mind and she goes there a fresh filly. Seven furlongs is her ideal trip, while the straight track at Newcastle will suit her. She could still be reasonably treated back in a handicap as I think she is capable of getting black type. There are plenty of positives.”

Michael Herrington, trainer of Powdering: “She goes here in good form, having been beaten on the nod in the trial at Lingfield. She has showed that she is more than capable from this sort of mark. She is 3lb lower than her fourth here last year, when she was drawn away from the winner and only beaten a length or so. I think she has a solid each-way chance.”

Richard Fahey, co-trainer of Ziggy’s Queen: “This is a good opportunity for her to run for a lot of money. She was a breeze up filly, always very keen, but we always suspected she would stay further than six furlongs once she settled down. We felt the trial at Lingfield was a good place to try it and it worked out great.”

Ross O’Sullivan, trainer of Indigo Dream: “I think we bumped into one in the trial and, although we have to take her on again, at least we have a nice swing in the weights. We have kept her fresh with this race in mind. The favourite could be a class above, but our filly has had a smooth preparation and should give a good account of herself.”

Hollie Doyle, rider of Paris Babe: “She is a very likeable type who Archie picked up from Arqana. Emma Palmer, who owns her, has had a bit of luck over the years. She seems very straightforward in her work, while I think the stiff track at Newcastle will really suit her. She starts off on a mark of 91 and we will find out where she is at.”

15:00 Newcastle: BetMGM All-Weather Championships Mile Handicap

Chris Richardson, Managing Director of Cheveley Park Stud, owner of Chancellor: “Following on from wind surgery and a gelding operation, he has put together four nice performances over the winter. We hoped he would win the Winter Derby and it was a shame he got touched off there, although it was another solid run. It looks very competitive, but the stiff mile should suit our horse and he goes there in good order.”

James Tate, trainer of Blue RC: “Following his Southwell win, we knew he would qualify for this and decided to put him away. He is a progressive horse who, on the figures, has improved with every start. The mile at Southwell was the stiffest test of stamina he has faced so far, which appeared to suit, and I am hoping the straight mile at Newcastle could eke out a bit more improvement. It will need to, though, as it looks a high-class renewal.”

Andrew Balding, trainer of The Lost King and Storm Star: "The Lost King won the Lincoln Trial nicely and is still a potentially well-handicapped horse, although he will need to be as it looks a strong race. Storm Star won this last year and has shown his liking for Newcastle on other occasions as well. While he was a bit disappointing last time in a Listed race, he seems well at home and should have a solid chance.”

William Haggas, trainer of First Principle: “He has come out of Wolverhampton fine. I ran him there because I was afraid he might not get in here, so I am pleased that it has worked out. This looks a hugely competitive race, and he only scraped home last time, but he is a genuine horse and would not be without hope.”

Richard Hannon, trainer of Witch Hunter: “He is a grand horse, who loves Newcastle. All those big races on the straight course are not complete without him. He has been a star for us down the years and has shown again this winter that he is still more than capable of competing in races like this.”

Ed Walker, trainer of Popmaster: “He is in flying form. He is a bit of a legend who has been around for a while now. He is very robust, which allows us to keep him busy, and is a joy to have in the yard. He is very consistent on the all-weather, whereas he can be hit and miss on the grass. It is hard to say he is well handicapped at his age, but Ashley Lewis takes 5lb off and I would not be surprised to see them pick up some good prize money.”

Michael Herrington, trainer of Nikovo: “This looks a very strong race, even with the French horse not coming over. Newcastle is Nikovo’s favourite track, as he showed again last time. He is on the same mark as last year when he finished sixth and, if he can pick up some place money, I would be delighted.”

Karl Burke, trainer of Flight Plan: “He has been working very well. We were disappointed with him in Dubai, but he ran well over a mile and a quarter at Lingfield the other day on his first run back. I think the stiff mile at Newcastle will suit him better.”

15:35 Newcastle: Midnite All-Weather Sprint Handicap

Stephen Thorne, trainer of Sir Les Patterson: “His performance the last day was frighteningly good, because we felt he was just ready to start back and would take a big step forward from it. The handicapper did not miss him, which means he will have to lump top weight, but he is relatively unexposed under these conditions. It will take the performance of a Group horse to win but, in fairness, his work lately is showing that.”

Jack Channon, trainer of Ferrous and Sarab Star: “Sarab Star is a lightly raced horse and, I have made no bones about it, I think he is very talented. This race has been the target since Wolverhampton, when he showed a lot of speed over seven furlongs. We dropped him in last time with this race in mind, as it was only two weeks out and I did not want him to have a burnup with Mount Athos and leave his race at Kempton. We think a stiff six will suit, it is just whether he has the turn of foot to win a race like this, but we are excited to run him. Ferrous ran a cracker in the Kachy Stakes on his first run back. He was just pipped in a handicap at Lingfield a month later and then we had to run him in the Lady Wulfruna to get him qualified. A stiff six furlongs really suits him, as he showed when winning a nice handicap over the course and distance last year off 102. He is 3lb higher now but is a proven all-weather horse and will be a danger to anyone on the day.”

Karl Burke, trainer of Marshman: “He is a tricky horse to catch right but he goes there fresh and well. I thought it was an encouraging performance in the Listed race at Wolverhampton last time. Hopefully, he will put up a good show.”

Jane Chapple-Hyam, trainer of El Bodon: “He is in very good order. Rossa Ryan is booked to ride, so that’s always a positive. I cannot fault what the horse has done this season, even in defeat at Lingfield last time. I think the track at Newcastle will suit him better and I can see him finishing in the first four.”

Tom Fanshawe, assistant trainer of Heathcliff: “It is going to be harder for him off 10lb higher after his personal best at Wolverhampton, but he seems in the form of his life – and it is a tightly knit field in terms of ratings. He has winning form at the track and hopefully can acquit himself well.”

Andrew Balding, trainer of Berkshire Whisper: “He has been gelded since disappointing on his most recent start at the trial meeting. We know everything about this test will suit him, given what he did in the 3YO race last year. If he bounces back to his best, he should have a good each-way chance.”

William Haggas, trainer of Wiltshire: “We have aimed him for this all season, given he has performed well at the track before. He needs to improve on getting out of the stalls properly, so we have done some work on that. He started the season a bit high in the handicap with a mark of 103 but is down to 96 now. Hopefully, he jumps better, which should enable him to run better.”

Ado McGuinness, trainer of City House: “He only joined us at the start of the winter, so we are still learning about him, but I thought his second the last day was a nice step forward. We have a big swing in the weights with Sir Les Patterson, which should put us in the mix, and he has run well at the track before.”

Ed Walker, trainer of So Darn Hot: “He is a lovely horse we inherited from Kevin Philippart de Foy. Kevin did a great job with him, getting him to climb the handicap ranks. He has run some solid races for us, although things are tougher for him now. Ashley Lewis’ claim will help and, while I think seven furlongs might be his trip, a strong pace and stiff six will hopefully see him bang there.”

16:10 Newcastle: Midnite All-Weather Easter Classic Middle Distance Handicap

Andrew Balding, trainer of Regal Ulixes and Teumessias Fox: “Regal Ulixes had to squeeze in a third qualifying run following his Lingfield win, which meant backing up quickly in the Lincoln Trial over a trip short of his best. It was not ideal, but he still ran a decent race from a poor draw. He is a very talented horse and, provided he relaxes and does everything the right way around, he should be very competitive. Teumessias Fox has been tough to place, having gone up in the weights last year, but the handicapper has dropped him a few pounds over the winter. The pick of his form on the all-weather, including when winning the Rosebery at Kempton last year, would give him a chance.”

Patrick Mullins, assistant trainer of Gaucher: “He has thrived since switching back to the Flat, which probably should not have been a huge surprise given he is by Frankel and out of Group One-winning mare Left Hand. A mark of 106 and top weight in a race like this makes things more difficult, but we think he can be competitive. We are not sending him over for the fresh air anyway!”

Richard Fahey, co-trainer of Bragbor: “We got the horse qualified not long after we bought him, so we decided to give him a bit of a break. We have been happy with him in the lead up to this. He has some nice pieces of form at the track, although whether he is good enough to win, we will have to see.”

David O’Meara, trainer of Duke’s Command and Zryan: “We opted for this race for Duke’s Command rather than the Mile as he had some good form over this trip earlier in the season. The race last time was steadily run over a shorter trip and turned into a sprint, which probably did not suit him. He has come out of it in good shape and I would be hopeful that he can run a nice race. Zryan has form at the track and we thought we’d let him take his chance, given he sneaks in at the bottom of the weights.”

Karl Burke, trainer of Antrim: “He is another one of ours who has been out in Dubai over the winter, including when winning on the dirt. He has won a couple of times at Newcastle, so we know he likes the track. He seems really well in himself and I think he is on a nice mark of 95.”

Alan King, trainer of Paradias: “He has had a terrific winter and comes here on a career-high mark [103] as a result. Moving back to a mile and a quarter is probably not ideal, although Newcastle is a stiff track. This has been the target for some time and hopefully he can run as well as last year before switching back to the turf.”

Ian Williams, trainer of Parlando: “He has had a solid winter that included a trip to St Moritz in February. He showed his wellbeing after that with a good run at Kempton over a trip that was probably further than ideal. That was a decent prep for this.”

16:42 Newcastle: Midnite All-Weather Easter Plate Marathon Handicap

Ian Williams, trainer of Beylerbeyi and Enemy: “Beylerbeyi is in great order. His performances over inadequate trips this season have been encouraging, while he showed he handles the track fine at the trials meeting in January. I am really looking forward to stepping him back up to his preferred distance. Enemy has won a couple this winter and is still performing at a very good level. He should run another solid race.”

William Haggas, trainer of Dramatic Star: “He showed at Kempton at the start of the season that he gets two miles. He had a nice run around there over a shorter trip last time to get him ready for this. We think we have him in very good shape.”

Michael Bell, trainer of Duke Of Oxford: “He has had a very good winter, which means he has gone up the handicap a bit, but he deserved to given the performances he put in. His trial win was encouraging because we had always wondered whether he was quite as good at Newcastle. He is a very tall, leggy horse and it could be that he is finally peaking at the age of six. I think he is a major player.”

Andrew Balding, trainer of Berkshire Sundance: “I am particularly pleased with him at the moment. He is a tough, progressive horse who stays well. While he has won three races this season, he has disappointed us a couple of times as well, including up at Newcastle in January. That would be a concern.”

Charlie Johnston, trainer of Artisan Dancer and Sax Appeal: “Artisan Dancer is proven for a test like this. He had a nice break through January and February before making an impressive return at Southwell three weeks ago. While all his wins have come in a lower grade, he has acquitted himself well in handicaps of this calibre before. I thought the handicapper was pretty harsh on Sax Appeal around Christmas time, when he put him up 5lb for winning an uncompetitive race at Southwell. As is always the case, it has taken more time to come down the handicap than it did to go up. We have reached for the blinkers again, which has worked on him in the past.”

Ado McGuinness, trainer of Tribal Star: “I am very happy with him. He had a nice break following the Irish Cesarewitch and then we brought him back for his three qualifying runs, including over an inadequate trip last time. He has got heavier and stronger, while he has run very well over the course and distance twice before. I would expect a big run.”

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