Our writer has three tips from today's action, including a NAP at Newcastle.
Lingfield
13:30 - Pirate King 18/1 0.5pt ew
PIRATE KING is without a win in a 15 starts but I think he has much better claims today than he has in any starts in recent times but the return to his favourite venue of Lingfield will do Charlie Fellowes’ charge no harm; a 4 time C&D winner, with multiple other good efforts in the mix.
This contest is littered with early pace which is crucial to the chances of this son of Farhh and it looks a great opportunity to make use of his sliding handicap mark, as he looks very dangerous operating off a mark of 84, a significant 12lb below his last winning mark. He also moves into a class 4 event for the first time since 2019, so despite the fact he is near the top of the weights, it is likely he will just love running against some lesser animals.
When you factor in that all conditions look right for Pirate King, it makes his initial odds of around 18/1 look well overpriced and with extra places available, he looks a solid each way bet.
Lingfield
15:50 - War In Heaven 10/1 1pt ew
The newly crowned 7 time All-Weather champion trainer Mick Appleby has transformed WAR IN HEAVEN since picking him up from the Andrew Balding stable and stepping him up in trip to over a mile. He has won 4 out of his last 5 starts, progressing from a mark of 72, all the way up to his current mark of 91.
The winning run did come to an end in the Lincoln trial at Wolverhampton, but that was a strong race and he moves back in class today, back down to a class 3 which will obviously help his chances. There is also an extra furlong today which could eek out further improvement, and it wouldn’t shock me if he reverses form with Outbreak to make it 2-1 in their head to head with the step up in trip in mind. He has bagged a decent draw in stall 6 which should enable Alistair Rawlinson to lead or at least be handy, and if he can get up on the front end, he could prove hard to peg back for his rivals.
Newcastle
16:45 - Annaf (NAP) 5/2 2pt win
Mick Appleby has always thought a lot of ANNAF and he has proved his trainers opinion right and turned into a very smart colt. The bullish handler has suggested this horse could be a Group 1 contender and is confirmed to be in great form, which is hardly a surprise after such a productive winter.
The son of Muhaarar clearly has took a liking to artificial surfaces, winning 5 starts from 8 in the UK. Clearly Newcastle is a venue that suits him well too as he won two novice events there, alongside a 4th place at this meeting last year at listed level, followed by a 2nd in the Chipchase in the summer. A major positive too is how 3 of these wins have been in a row and his most recent win is arguably a career best.
I was very impressed with this most recent victory at Lingfield, where he did remarkably well to pick up Diligent Harry to overcome a slow start as well as a pace bias. He also had other rivals behind that day and others have to improve to get to his level. The live danger could be Vadream after her weekend romp, but I think heavy ground is crucial to seeing her at her best. Overall, I rank Annaf the one to beat and I will be disappointed if he doesn’t go very close.
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