Lingfield is now an old friend

Lingfield Park racecourse is turning into an old friend, both the track and the horses which regularly run there.

When the all weather racing first started it was grudgingly welcomed for providing some action when the rain/frost in the winter months led to the abandonment of the jumps. In the early days there were even hurdle races staged on the plastic at Lingfield, until that was wisely stopped on the grounds of safety.

There were though always suspicions about the integrity of what went on in the early days. I heard many reports of a couple of senior jockeys deciding who would win each race at the start of the day in the weighing room. Gossip it may have been but there was the ring of truth about some of it. The advent of the betting exchange did mean that money could easily be made from actually stopping horses.

Complacency has to be avoided of course but I am confident that those dark days are over, and that the all-weather is now by and large clean. There is the odd incident of a horse running 'conservatively' shall we say, in order to protect or enhance its handicap mark, but no worse than what goes on over jumps or on the turf. The challenge for us punters is to spot when that happens.

Lingfield now races 2, 3 or sometimes 4 times a week throughout the winter. It provides opportunities for some of the lessor lights (trainers, jockeys and horses) to have their day in the (winter) sun, and it gives us fans the chance to get close to the action away from the concert night, family fun day, face painting for the kids, crowds. 

Just occasionally a really top class horse will run. Today we saw Ralph Becket's £200k purchase, Golden Chapter win the maiden fillies stakes.

She almost certainly will not run on the all-weather again. Indeed it is possible her next outing will be in the 1000 Guineas itself.
Just as impressive was the acceleration shown by the previously unraced Mukaabra, seen in the pic with his rider Andrea Atzeni (and yes Andrea is a bloke - it's an Italian thing I'm told). This Jim Tate trained horse will win some very good races this season.

But even better than that in some ways are the lower grade horses which can come back again and again. Just as the course has become an old friend, so these plodders do as well.

There was a great example today in the 4.20 Apprentice Handicap, worth £2.5k to the winner. To describe the runners as modest is to over praise them. The form read for six of the seven runners as follows-

• 'Poor'
• 'Very modest'
• 'Failed to trouble the judge in five outings'
• 'Record is 0-9 but is one of the more solid contenders (!)'
• 'Well beaten and doesn't look entirely solid'
• 'Five race maiden'.

The contest was won by the Gay Kellaway trained New Abbey Angel. He had started at 100/1 in his last race but had run okish. The problem was that his pedigree suggested he would not 'stay' the increased distance of 1mile 2furlong. As it was he lasted home well, and won going away under the jockey Lulu*, and giving the owners probably an even bigger thrill than Sheiki Hamdan gets when winning a classic.

Lingfield has well and truly won me over, even before this sunset.

*Lulu Stanford, a rather impressive young woman rider, whose parents I am guessing are either Scottish or fans of Eurovision, or both.