The All Weather Championships move north to Newcastle this year, but Lingfield continues to provide the support act on ITV on Friday. There are nine races live during the afternoon and we have selections in each one, alongside SkyBet‘s new customer offer of Bet £5 Get £20 In Free Bets.
My Oberon (2.00 Newcastle) 2/1
The mile championship begins the terrestrial coverage and the class horse of the day at Newcastle is probably MY OBERON.
William Haggas’ five-year-old boasts a handicap mark of 113, which is comfortably up to Group race standard. Indeed, he contested three Group 1s in 2021, coming within a neck of claiming the Prix D’Ispahan at Longchamp. As well as that, he contested the Dubai Turf at Meydan last month, in which he was sixth to Lord North.
He has only ever had one career start on an all-weather surface, that coming on Southwell’s tapeta in February. While he may have been expected to win more cosily than he did, Tom Marquand guided him from the back of the field in a first-time tongue tie. It was also his first start since a gelding operation.
If he puts his best foot forward on his return from Dubai, he should take a lot of stopping. He may not be the most prolific, but this is a great chance for him to add a fourth career triumph.
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Jack’s Point (2.20 Lingfield) 13/2
This is a tricky handicap and there is a strong temptation to side with Mighty Gurkha, whose mark is now too appealing to ignore.
However, he really has struggled of late and a safer option might be the more revivified JACK’S POINT for Tony Carroll. He secured a course and distance victory at the start of March, which was his first for nearly two years.
In the interim, he had been a 66/1 runner-up in Royal Ascot’s Buckingham Palace Handicap off a mark of 96. That ensured he also contested Listed honours that summer, but returned in January this year with a rating of just 83 having lost his way.
However, a change of yard, from Tom Clover to Carroll, has rejuvenated him, as perhaps has the all-weather surface. Off just 2lb higher than when value for a greater margin of victory latest, he could well go in again.
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Good Effort (2.35 Newcastle) 11/1
The sprint championship has been won by some top class names in recent years. The last three winners, City Light, Kachy and Summerghand, have all plied their trade at the highest level on turf.
As such, this year’s renewal could be a little more open, as the majority have specialised on the all-weather in terms of their recent form. The vote goes to GOOD EFFORT, whose efforts over 6f in Europe should make him a formidable contender.
They began with a runner-up finish over course and distance in the Group 3 Chipchase Stakes before winning at Deauville in a conditions event. He did the same in Listed company at Lingfield before the turn of the year and ran well under a 3lb penalty in a qualifier for this in February. Had he not missed the break slightly, he would have gone very close.
He may have been a no-show in Dubai most recently but can be forgiven that run. A return to this course under these conditions could see his price tumble before the off.
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Vespasian (2.55 Lingfield) 5/1
Imperially named, VESPASIAN represents a yard who have been firing in the winners in 2022.
Simon and Ed Crisford are operating at a 32% strike rate this calendar year, with 15 winners from their 47 runners. That is an outstanding return and this horse has been responsible for two of those successes after three runs since January.
After a novice win over 7f at this track at the start of the year, he was only narrowly denied under a penalty returned to 6f at Southwell. He made amends on his handicap debut at Newcastle though, winning by two lengths from the front under Ross Coakley.
The same man is aboard for this race and a mark of 83 easily leaves leeway for further progress. It would be no surprise if he further rewarded his in-form trainers.
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Space Cowboy (3.10 Newcastle) 5/1
Favourites have won all four runnings of this contest, but the trend might well end here.
El Caballo is undoubtedly very talented and managed to win despite playing up throughout a Listed contest at Lingfield last time. However, this is arguably deeper and he might not get away with such drama here.
SPACE COWBOY would not even have been an eyecatcher on debut at Newbury last season, but the switch to all-weather worked wonders for the song of Kodi Bear. His speedy pedigree meant the decision to start at 7f was an unusual one, but he seems much more at home at 6f.
A half-length defeat of Eldrickjones, a horse who regularly competed in Group races last term, is good form and on collateral form at this track with the third-placed Canonized, he is well on par with El Caballo.
The prices certainly make him a more alluring betting prospect than the market leader and he might not have much to find.
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Internationalangel (3.45 Newcastle) 9/4
Highfield Princess is the class act in this field, but her all-weather form does not stack up with her very best turf efforts.
She has suffered three defeats from as many starts at Chelmsford and Wolverhampton since February and while the latest was over a shorter trip than ideal, that makes for a disappointing return. In the same month in which she finished sixth in the Group 1 British Champions Sprint at Ascot, INTERNATIONALANGEL scraped home in a Chelmsford handicap off a mark of 67.
Yet that victory sparked a remarkable sequence having moved to Jane Chapple-Hyam. Three more wins over the same 7f at Chelmsford followed to conclude the year, while she also won on her return over course and distance. Suddenly, her rating was 100.
The rise to Listed company proved too much to end the winning run, but she was beaten less than two lengths by Highfield Princess after being in a far less beneficial position in running. The tables could well be turned.
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Proclaimer (4.00 Lingfield) 9/2
Though this represents a step up in class, there is little reason to abandon PROCLAIMER on his search for a fourth straight victory in 2022 and an eighth in nine starts.
He is a classic case of a horse who always does just enough. None of his first six wins in that stretch were achieved by greater than a half-length, so it was probably a pleasant surprise for connections to see him win by a full length from the front at Kempton last time.
Officially, he would only have gone up 3lb for that, but the proximity of that race to this contest ensures he is hit with a 5lb penalty instead. However, he has been hanging left up the straight at right-handed Kempton and should be much better suited by the orientation at Lingfield.
He has only gone up 23lb despite those seven wins. Masterful placing by Julie Camacho could mean he is still in a winning position here.
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Earlofthecotswolds (4.15 Newcastle) 9/2
Rated 139 over hurdles, the eight-year-old EARLOFTHECOTSWOLDS would not have struck many as an obvious type to be rerouted to the flat.
However, decisions like these are what set Nigel Twiston-Davies apart. Earlofthecotswolds has thrived. On his first two all-weather starts, he finished close up behind key market rivals Rainbow Dreamer and Sleeping Lion, but has gone up a gear since.
He has taken two races at Kempton by a combined 13 lengths, with the latter coming at this trip of 2m. The form of that victory, in particular, looks enough to fancy him reversing form with the above duo.
So far, Liam Keniry has ridden him from the front to utilise his jumps stamina. Deploying the same tactics on a horse now bang in form could make him difficult to catch.
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Tyrrhenian Sea (4.45 Newcastle) 4/5
The form of Living Legend and Al Zaraqaan’s recent one-two at Kempton is fairly solid, with the latter expected to turn that form around. He may potentially go close here.
That said, though a bet on TYRRHENIAN SEA does not represent tremendous value, he may prove to be by far the best horse in the contest. Starting his career with three wins on the trot, he was odds on to win from a mark of 99 in a Kempton handicap last time.
However, he met trouble in running on numerous occasions towards the finish, but still only lost by half a length. The chances are that he had a fair amount in hand and would have risen to a rating to match any of his rivals in this field.
That would not have factored in any further improvement, which also seems likely. This could end up being a stepping stone to greater things further down the line.
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