Ahead of the return of his weekly column, Andrew Asquith outlines the changes which have been made to the All-Weather Championships this season
The eleventh edition of the All-Weather Championships season officially started on the 17th of October and, though it will conclude at Newcastle and Lingfield on Good Friday as normal, there will be a new structure in place this campaign.
The decision has been made to scrap all of the Fast-Track Qualifiers, races which ensured winners of those races got automatic entry to the Final on Good Friday. Also, all races on Finals Day at Newcastle will now be open handicaps instead of conditions events, but each horse will still have had to run on the all-weather at least three times in either Britain, Ireland or France to qualify, while it will also remain the case that one of those runs can be in either Dubai or Saudi Arabia.
Another new feature to this All-Weather Championships season will be the addition of two Trials Day fixtures, one of which will take place at Newcastle on New Year’s Day and the other at Lingfield on the 1st of March. Both fixtures will offer valuable opportunities for horses across the six All-Weather Championships categories and the winning horse will gain free entry into the corresponding race on Finals Day, while a bonus of £30,000 will be up for grabs for horses who can complete the double. Furthermore, a £75,000 bonus is also on offer for horses who win at both Trials Day fixtures and go on to be successful in the Final itself.
I didn’t think there was much wrong with the original format, which has always been well supported by owners and trainers since its inception, but you can also see why the organisers have decided to mix it up after 10 years. It will give Finals Day a different outlook, but hopefully an even more competitive one, which can hopefully benefit some smaller stables given the amount of prize money on offer.
There have already been some brilliant performances in the last few weeks, but no horse has taken my eye more than the James Fanshawe-trained Willem Twee. He missed most of the turf season through injury but he is quickly making up for lost time, looking a potential pattern-class performer in the making in his last two victories at Kempton and Lingfield and he reportedly has the listed Kachy Stakes back at Lingfield as a potential next target. Willem Twee has a BHA rating of 106 at the time of writing and he will remain the one to beat over sprint trips on the all-weather.
Another sprinter that looked like one to follow was Clarendon House, who resumed winning ways in grand style on his all-weather debut over five furlongs at Wolverhampton last week. That was also his first start since undergoing a gelding operation, which clearly had a positive effect, defying a BHA mark of 101 up against some solid yardsticks. Clarendon House has a run style which lends itself well to all-weather racing and there should be even more to come from him now he is back up and running, and the handicapper has only raised him 4 lb. There is another sprint handicap at Southwell just before Christmas which connections are reportedly eyeing up and he will remain of interest from his current mark.
Jockey Billy Loughnane, who announced himself on the scene in no uncertain terms on the all-weather last winter, has made a flying start to this all-weather season and has already notched 22 wins, which is six more than his nearest pursuer, Rossa Ryan. He is in an excellent position to add a Champion All-Weather Jockey title to his apprentice one from last season and is sure to be well supported in the coming weeks and months, while his link up with George Boughey is a notable one that needs monitoring.
This season's weekly column will start on Wednesday and I will be looking at the evening card at Kempton, which features the listed Hyde Stakes, while also unearthing some less-than-obvious horses to follow on the all-weather in the coming weeks and some who have caught the eye on the clock. I'm hoping that Elladonna, who holds a couple of entries at Kempton, takes her chance in the mile handicap, as she very much shaped like she would relish a drop in trip on her qualifying run, and an opening mark of 70 could well underestimate her.
It promises to be another cracking – and hopefully profitable – season!
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