James Boyle's Flat Racing Angles

By James Boyle  | 

Mar 31st, 2021 02:30 PM  |  4 mins

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Some cracking races are in prospect on Friday at All-Weather Finals day and hopefully we’ll be able to find a few winners to keep things interesting! Luck in the run will no doubt be of huge importance given the tricky nature of Lingfield’s track but here goes nothing! Best of luck to everyone punting.

2:00pm - All-Weather Marathon Championship:

Rainbow Dreamer set his stall out for this race when defeating a few talented stayers at Kempton a couple of months ago and has been freshened up since, but whether he’ll get a race that pans out to suit him as well as that did remains to be seen and ever-shortening quotes around the 9/4 mark are making limited appeal.

John Gosden knows when to fire one at a stakes race even when there’s more handicapping scope in their mark and Amtiyaz could be a live contender despite a rating of just 94. He has been improving all the time and posted a career-best performance at Kempton last time, comfortably seeing off a decent field for the grade.

A couple of months off since may help him to find even more improvement and although he has improved 16lbs on his opening rating, I doubt he has got near his ceiling yet. His running style should see Lingfield be an optimal track and I think he’s going to be mixing it with the best of these. Granted some luck, he could win.

Selection – Amtiyaz – 11/2 with BetVictor

2:35pm - All-Weather Fillies' And Mares' Championship:

The fillies’ and mares’ race never get me too excited and this year’s renewal is the same! It lacks anything of huge quality and John Gosden could double up with Indie Angel, who posted a big career-best performance over a mile here when last seen in October, defeating a far better field than this.

Two questions are in place; will she be fit enough to rock after a break? And can she cope with the drop back to 7f? I don’t think either is going to be a problem against this level of opposition and it’s entirely possible that she returns at 4-years-old even better than she was last season. The price is tight but she should win.

Selection – Indie Angel – Evens with William Hill

3:10pm - All-Weather Sprint Championship:

This is a cracking race. No future Group 1 winners will line up but a lot of them are super capable on the artificial surfaces. Harry’s Bar heads the betting at 7/2 for Adrian McGuinness and he was 2-2 at this track when trained by James Fanshawe. His form in Ireland says he’s as good as ever and Hollie Doyle being booked is a plus.

Whether he offers much value at the current odds, however, is definitely up for debate and a draw out in the widest stall of all will mean luck early doors will have to be on his side. I can see why he’s being backed but if he was positioned even four or five stalls lower down, he’d make much more sense as a bet.

Summerghand is a credit to connections and takes his racing excellently, and I think he could be the one to play at 7/1. He only ran on Saturday at Doncaster but was better than his finishing effort would suggest having endured a troubled passage. A visor could liven him up and he will get a race that’s run to suit.

Selection – Summerghand – 7/1 with bet365

3:45pm - 3 Year Old All-Weather Championship:

Clive Cox does a mighty job with his younger horses and Diligent Harry could take home a nice prize in the 3-year-old race. He has improved with each of his three runs and is unlucky not to be arriving here undefeated, having gone down by a short-head in a good C&D handicap a few weeks ago.

A slow start meant the positive tactics used for both of his wins couldn’t be repeated but he proved he’s versatile in coming home fast in the closing stages. Granted a quicker break and more improvement for time and experience, I think he can make up for that and see off this field before going for a Listed race.

Selection – Diligent Harry – 9/4 with BetVictor

4:15pm - Easter Classic Middle Distance Championships:

Bangkok and Forest Of Dean look to be in a bit of a match race here if the betting is to be believed, the books offering 5/4 and 7/4 respectively. Assimilation, Palavecino and Sky Defender are talented opponents with some decent form in the book, but that has come mainly in handicaps so they will need to step up.

The one I’m leaning towards is Bangkok as he could simply prove to be too classy for these to deal with. He was out of his depth and not positioned to get involved in the Saudi Cup when last seen but before that won the C&D Winter Derby Trial, beating Forest Of Dean, and a similar effort can see him repeat the trick again.

Selection – Bangkok – 5/4 with Paddy Power

4:45pm - All-Weather Mile Championship:

Like the sprint, it’s an open and fascinating contest. Khuzaam heads the ten-strong field at around 5/2 and he’s a horse I’ve supported before (in defeat!). The sharp mile shouldn’t be a problem and he’s clearly a big talent, I just wonder whether he’s a bit soft in the head and doesn’t fancy a battle. He’ll get one here!

Mums Tipple took the step up to 7f in his stride when winning well at Wolverhampton last time and wasn’t exactly stopping at the line, so a mile could be within reach. However, everything else was rather one-paced when it mattered most and there’s a definite chance that he could have been flattered by his victory.

A runner who could be very overpriced is Via Serendipity. He was disappointing last time but has had a couple of months off since and could pick up the pieces late on if they get racing too early, as looks to be a possibility. He’s a very smooth mover when at his best and I think he may go close.

Selection – Via Serendipity – 14/1 with bet365

James Boyle's All-Weather Finals Day Tips: