Last weekend we landed just one place with the very well backed Far From Dandy. Apart from his fine run, it was a bit of a disaster so hopefully we can bounce back on a busy Easter weekend. I’m not going to have a Saturday preview for TXMarkets but I will cover Fairyhouse’s Monday card for them and I may also have something for Sunday on my own blog. I have just two bets for Friday and they both run at Newcastle.
2.25 – Fillies’ And Mares’ Championship (Class 2)
A substantial purse of £150k for this contest with over 70 LARGE going to the winner. Plenty of horses will have been targeted at this
race given the prize money and off a mark of 76, I am going to take a chance on
the Richard Spencer trained Shallow.
She is by her owner’s sire Rajasinghe, a stallion who has a
propensity for producing hardy handicappers. This filly was third in this race
last year, beaten by just a length off a mark of 80. She had a very similar prep
last season, running three races over 6f
before running so well and Spencer has stuck to the same blueprint.
Shallow has admittedly yet to win over 6f but two of her
best runs in the most valuable races she has contested have been over 7f, here
last year and in a £100k handicap at York where she was a fine fourth off 82, beaten
3.5l for the win.
Her latest outing at Kempton over 6f had prep run written
all over it and Saffie Osborne, who rode in that 7f York race, returns to the plate.
The assessor dropped Shallow 1lb for that last effort and she returns to try
and go two places better than last year off a 4lb lower mark. Her tendency to race
keenly often costs her late in races but if Saffie can get her to settle better, she
should be on the premises here at odds of 18/1.
2026 Newcastle A/W Championships Tip: Shallow e/w @ 18/1
(4 places)
4.10 – AW Easter Classic Middle Distance Handicap (Class
2)
An even bigger purse of £175k here with a whopping £90k
going to the victor. The one I am going to take a chance on at a big price is
The Glen Rovers. Trained by Lucy Wadham, who is better known for producing
winners over jumps, he’ll be ridden by Sean D Bowen (not the jumps jockey).
A son of Dark Angel, this 7yo has won five of his eleven
starts. He only made his debut in an AW bumper as a 4yo but he has proven
himself to be a useful performer on the Flat. He won on his handicap debut over
this C&D off a lowly mark of 63 in July 2024 and he was kept on the go until
last February, notching up four more wins, culminating in a neck win off 85 in
the AW Champs trial at Lingfield.
Wadham gave him a well deserved break after that last gasp win
and he returned to action in November off a mark of 92. A big unit, he probably
needed that run, and the same sentiment applies to his next run at Kempton too
as he was given an 86 day break after his comeback.
Last time at Chelmsford was also most likely a prep run as
he was ridden close to the pace. He is a hold up sort who is best coming off a
strong gallop and he is more than likely going to get that here. He stays further
than 1m2f, which is an asset given the stiff nature of the Newcastle track and
he is now just 3lb above his last win. Hopefully they go hard and fast from the
start here and if they do, The Glen Rovers can stay on late to hit the frame at
odds of 28/1.
2026 Newcastle A/W Championships Tip: The Glen Rovers e/w
@ 28/1 (4 places) NAP
