The Horse Watchers AW Finals Day runners including Penzance
Chris Dixon of The Horse Watchers takes you through the syndicate's runners at Newcastle and Lingfield on All-Weather Finals Day, spearheaded by the progressive Penzance.
Penzance
Declared: Easter Classic Middle Distance Handicap (16:10 Newcastle)
He's had a brilliant winter and we've had Good Friday aspirations marked down for him for quite a long time. He hasn't put a foot wrong and has been campaigned sparingly.
He's managed to win both of the trial races - one at Newcastle and one at Lingfield - which makes him eligible should he win on Good Friday for a massive bonus. So prize-money wise it's a huge day, potentially, as not only is it good prize-money for the race there is a bonus lying in wait should he win.
Obviously it's going to be difficult, he's gone up another 6 lb, but our feeling and [his jockey] Ali's feeling was that Lingfield probably wasn't his ideal track. He managed to overcome it to win down there but going back up to Newcastle will suit him better, for all that he won by further at Lingfield than he had at Newcastle. That Newcastle form worked out really well and I'm hopeful that he goes there with another good chance. I think he's progressing all the time and he's worked really well. We're very, very happy with him and I think there's more to come from this fellow. He's gone up the weights a lot but there's more there.
Ideally he wants a nice, sound surface and probably a track that doesn't have too much of a downhill element to it. Flat tracks or flat with a stiff enough finish are probably ideal. He doesn't want anything too undulating and he should go on the grass fine as well, for all his improvement has come on the all-weather. Mick Appleby
Zealot
Declared: All-Weather Championships Mile Handicap (16:40 Newcastle)
He's not been able to do what he did last winter [when he won seven times] but it was always going to be more difficult this year and he just had a setback ahead of the season which meant we've been sort of playing a bit of catch up with him.
The plan has always been to have him ready for Good Friday up at Newcastle and he's got qualified, but he was definitely in need of his first couple of runs and I think Wolverhampton, where he's been on his most recent start, just isn't his track really. He's had a couple of runs there and doesn't really like being on the turn all the time. At Lingfield he actually showed a bit, I thought, and you wouldn't have thought that would be his ideal track. He'll head up to Newcastle for Finals Day and he's much better suited to that.
He's not been competitive so his mark has dropped a bit. He needs to take a big jump forward from where he's been but it does look like the ability is there - he's worked nicely - so I think you'll see a better horse come Good Friday. Mick Appleby
Daring Legend
Declared: All-Weather 3 Year Old Championships Handicap (14:25 Newcastle)
He was probably finding the surface a bit quick when third at Southwell. It's been quite quick there recently and he was just a bit free back up to seven furlongs and it did sort of stretch him a little bit. Ultimately he ran a nice race in what probably wasn't a bad contest but you can just tell from the way he was carrying himself and hanging late on that he seemed to be finding it too quick. There's also an element that he might be better on straight tracks and right-handed tracks.
Going back to six furlongs at Newcastle will suit him as he was quite impressive over that course and distance. It's a good race but coming back down in distance from Southwell will help him. It was all a bit of a rush job with him but it was the only way to get him qualified. He's come out of the race at Southwell absolutely fine but in an ideal world you'd have had a few more weeks to freshen him up a bit, but he'll probably have a break after his run on Friday.
We've been really pleased with him so far. He made a really encouraging start, won well at Newcastle and then the other day wasn't a bad effort, for all it wasn't quite as good as what he'd done before. We bought him thinking he's a sprinter and he's only had one go as a sprinter and he won it, so that's what we'll persevere with. Mick Appleby
Baldomero
Declared: All-Weather Vase Mile Handicap (14:40 Lingfield)
He's a horse that the handicapper just can't give a chance to because of his consistency. He's only won one race since we bought him and we've had him a good while, and unbelievably that was over ten furlongs. Since then we've dropped him right back in trip and campaigned him as a sprinter. I think he'd be fine still at a mile - he's probably not a ten-furlong horse nowadays.
He's been unfortunate and along the way a few people have called him the odd name and you can sort of see why given how many times he's finished second in tight finishes. But I don't think he always does a great deal wrong and has been literally beaten the bob of a head on a few occasions. He's a horse that runs his race more often than not and if he was given a bit of slack by the handicapper he could go and run well. Mick Appleby
Intervention
Declared: All-Weather Vase Sprint Handicap (15:50 Lingfield)
He's been brilliant. The other day [at Wolverhampton] was probably a bit disappointing, but he's at the point now where, having been so consistent and been so busy, there's going to be the odd bad run and blip along the way - he's shot up the handicap.
But really he hasn't put a foot wrong through the winter. He ran really well in the Lady Wulfruna, he's won his races this winter and is just up to his mark now. He'll have one more go, he'll go to Lingfield on Good Friday. For the poorer run the other day he got dropped back 1 lb so that makes him eligible for the 0-90 over six furlongs, right on the ceiling rating. He'll then have a well-earned break.
The plan at the start of the winter, because he's a horse who does hold his form so well and you can run him regularly, was to campaign with the season-long bonus in mind. Picking up one of the monthly bonuses was literally a bonus for us because he managed to have such a brilliant month in December. But he's held his form since and is up there for some good prize-money in the yearly bonus and it's certainly been earned as if you compare him to a lot of the other horses in that list, and certainly towards the top of it, they started off much lower marks and have tended to campaign in lower-grade races, whereas he's been in quite good races all the way through. It's been hard for him, but he hasn't put a foot wrong and he's been a brilliant horse for us. Mick Appleby
Heathen
Declared: All-Weather Vase Apprentice Handicap (13:30 Lingfield)
We had him with Ed Dunlop and Ed advised that we shouldn't let him go and that a change of scenery would do him good, so he went up to Dave [O'Meara] and won straight away up at Southwell. He hasn't won since then but has run well in defeat a couple of times. He might be better with a bit more time between runs but we're happy to give it a go at Lingfield on Friday considering the prize-money on offer. David O'Meara
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