By Simon Mapletoft
3YO SPRINT
Bought privately after winning on debut for Joseph O’Brien at Dundalk, JUNGLE RULER emerged as a legitimate Good Friday contender by winning at the first attempt for former champion trainer Mick Appleby and The Horse Watchers at Southwell over the New Year.
Although 6f is a bare minimum for the son of Lucky Vega, he is blessed with plenty of natural speed. He will need to run twice more to qualify for the Final and should appreciate the stiffer test at Newcastle should connections target the valuable prize.
Hugo Palmer’s gelding Stratusnine also looks destined for Newcastle come Good Friday despite failing to justify his cramped odds in a deep 7f handicap at Wolverhampton on Boxing Day. This strong traveller didn’t quite last out the trip against seasoned handicappers but is better judged on his commanding win over 6f there in early December and remains fairly treated on a mark of 92.
Ten Carat Harry has won all five of his starts on the All-Weather, reaching a rating of 90 after completing a 6f nursery double at Southwell before Christmas. Jamie Osborne’s son of Ardad has a strong constitution and after beating valuable sales race winner Sioux Perfect at Newcastle in October will have no issues with the stiff test come Good Friday.
A 9lb rise for an emphatic win over 6f at Dundalk puts Sir Les Patterson firmly in the Finals Day picture. Stephen Thorne’s gelding shrugged off a mark of 90 to take his record on the All-Weather to four from seven. Connections are confirmed supports of the £1m race day, having twice run smart sprinter Harry’s Bar in the Sprint Final with Thorne’s ex-boss Ado McGuinness.
Dan and Claire Kubler’s Bowfell clocked an impressive speed figure when breaking his duck over 7f at Newcastle at the start of December and lost little in defeat by conceding a penalty and a fillies’ allowance to the promising All Moonshine at Southwell during the holidays. He appears to have the speed for a drop back to a stiff 6f and may yet progress his rating enough to make the cut.
FILLIES & MARES
Like Ten Carat Tony, SKY SAFARI extended her unbeaten record on synthetics to five when justifying favouritism in the Listed Fleur De Lys Stakes over 1m at Lingfield in November.
This daughter of Zoustar has been carefully campaigned by James Fanshawe, who won’t be flushed with options for his 99-rated filly before presumably heading to Newcastle at Easter. Given her excellent record when fresh, a winter break may not pose a problem.
The assessor hit Zariela with a whopping 25lb adjustment after she finished half a length behind Sky Safari at Lingfield. Sean Woods’ mare had been beaten in a handicap over the same course and distance two weeks earlier off a mark of just 70, so it will be interesting to see if she can be competitive back in a handicap off a demanding 96.
James Horton’s Fouette didn’t enjoy the clearest of runs behind Sky Safari or Zariela in the Fleur De Lys and wasn’t beaten far in a 7½f Listed race at Deauville in December. Despite coming up short in stakes company so far, she was progressing nicely in handicaps in the autumn, and with a rating of 93 has the right profile for the Final.
Whilst the distaff division has a typically open feel, Ed Walker’s lightly-raced four-year-old Bridget’s View galloped into the reckoning with a rampant display in a 1m fillies’ handicap at Southwell in mid-December. A maiden scorer over 7f at Kempton Park in November, she earned a 10lb rise for that success, which elevates her to a threshold rating of 88.
Trips beyond 1m have stretched Crown’s Lady, who has improved 24lb for the switch to Ed Bethell. She won twice over 7f at Catterick and Haydock Park in the summer, so dropping back in distance on Finals’ Day may not inconvenience the 89-rated grey, who needs just one more run to qualify.
Andrew Balding has successfully targeted Finals Day and could have another contender in All Moonshine, who built on her promising debut over 7f at Newcastle in November by beating hot favourite Bowfell in a similar race at Southwell over Christmas. Connections will surely be keen to make up for lost time with the four-year-old, who could yet fit the Finals Day bill.
Eve Johnson Houghton’s Lady Of Arabia is easing through the ranks and scaling the ratings after two wins at Chelmsford City and Wolverhampton in December. A winner of seven of her 19 starts on sand, this six-year-old is in the form of her life and could yet make the grade.
Seven furlongs is a bare minimum for George Boughey’s mare Unassuming but she only just failed to win a Class 3 handicap over the Final course and distance in November and has remained competitive off her mark in the 90s. Middleham Park’s six-year-old would certainly be worthy of her place.
William Haggas won the Fillies’ & Mares’ Final at Newcastle with Queen Aminatu and could be tempted to target the race with Lou Lou’s Gift, who runs in the same ownership. She was staying on when second in the Listed Golden Rose Stakes over 6f at Southwell in November and would appreciate stepping back up in trip.
Heavenly Heather, who caused a shock by winning last year’s Final at 200-1, will probably take her chance again after posting a string of creditable efforts for local trainer Tracy Waggott in Newcastle handicaps last year. Given the lack of depth in this division she may again make the cut after earning an 84 for December’s 6f success.
MILE
James Tate, who enjoyed Finals Day success with Cloud Cover, will no doubt be targeting the Mile Final with CITY OF POETS, who proved too good for subsequent winners Zryan and Brasil Power over the extended 1m at Wolverhampton.
The colt hasn’t been the most straightforward but is undeniably talented and certainly worth his place in the £150,000 showpiece.
Tate also has charge of the improving Blue Rc, who was too good for his opponents in a 1m handicap at Southwell on New Year’s Day after going close in Class 2 company at Chelmsford the previous month. He’s now rated up in the mid-90s and will be given a break before taking his chance on Finals Day.
Crown Board, who gave Blue Rc 10lb and a beating at Chelmsford, took his mark to 105 with that performance. Jane Chapple-Hyam’s six-year-old has only had 10 career starts and so could easily be open to further progress, though he will have to give weight to most of his rivals if he shows up on Good Friday.
Chapple-Hyam’s Hard Endeavor has a rating of 101 but has never run in a handicap, so he is difficult to assess. He dominated a 1m Kempton novice, slamming a rival who is now rated 81, before struggling somewhat in a 9½f Listed race in France in November, when he may have been stretched by the trip. He’s in good hands and remains unexposed.
William Haggas needs to get just one more run into First Principle to qualify him for the Final. Rated 92, he has clearly benefited from being gelded, winning at Southwell in October before finishing second in a stop-start Class 2 handicap at Kempton last time. A strongly run mile at Newcastle would see him in a better light.
Last year’s Mile Champion Storm Star made a satisfactory return from a lengthy break in a 7f handicap at Newcastle in mid-December, finishing third to the smart Apotheosis over an inadequate trip. He will be happier back over 1m but remains 5lb higher than he was when claiming the title off 95 last Easter.
Apotheosis has never run over 1m but had plenty in hand on his return to the All-Weather following wind surgery. Simon and Ed Crisford will reportedly campaign the four-year-old in Dubai, but it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him return in time for Good Friday.
Down in the weights is the 2024 champion Talis Evolvere, who ended a losing sequence of 14 with victory over 1m at Southwell early in the New Year. Richard Hannon’s six-year-old isn’t the force he was and will probably need to win at least once more to get into this year’s Final.
Ireland could be represented by the prolific Instant Appeal, who notched a hat-trick of wins at Dundalk on 17th December for Stephen Thorne. Twice successful over 1m in that sequence, he has climbed to a career-high rating of 94 with the promise of more to come.
France could also have a key contender in Christophe Ferland’s No Lunch, who has won two Listed contests at Deauville this winter, the latest over 7½f. He may have further targets in Pattern company this year but Ferland, a former assistant to Sir Mark Prescott, won the Marathon Final with Funny Kid in 2018 and may be tempted to return.
SPRINT
The Class 2 handicap at Kempton on 17th December could provide a key piece of form for the 6f Final. EL BODON conjured a powerful finish to deny Mick Appleby’s Coul Angel on his return from a near four-month break. Second in then Greenham at three, and now two from two on the All-Weather, he looks a triple-digit performer in the making.
Coul Angel again found trouble in a Southwell handicap on New Year’s Day but is a talented four-year-old who has more to offer. His hold-up style could be well served by the stiffer test at Newcastle - a track he has yet to encounter.
Pocklington, who won that Southwell feature, has an engaging profile. Geoff Oldroyd’s five-year-old won his first two starts over the Final course and distance and confirmed the promise of some solid efforts in defeat last year by justifying strong market support. Second in a Class 2 sprint at Newcastle’s Plate Festival and again over 7f there last month, he has his optimum conditions over a stiff 6f.
Despite his consistency, Baldomero didn’t find winning that easy until turning over a new leaf with three wins in four starts in the space of about six weeks. Mick Appleby’s versatile eight-year-old elevated his rating to 92 with success at Lingfield on New Year’s Eve, and although he has never run over a sprint trip at Newcastle, his hold-up style could be ideal.
Third in last year’s Final when giving away lumps of weight, Marshman was unable to overcome a poor start when a beaten favourite on his return to the All-Weather in the Listed Golden Rose Stakes at Southwell at the end of November. He will presumably complete his three qualifying runs in the Listed Kachy Stakes and Hever Sprint but switching back to handicap company off a mark currently at 109 will pose its demands.
An even higher rating of 110 looks almost certain to put connections off running Baldemero’s stable companion Royal Zabeel in the Final. An impressive winner of the Golden Rose, he could be another contender in the Kachy Stakes before heading back to Wolverhampton in a bid to repeat last season’s win in the Listed Wulfruna Stakes over 7f.
Night Storm brings an unexposed profile into the Finals Day shake-up after posting back-to-back wins at Newcastle and Wolverhampton earlier in the season. Although both wins were over 5f, James Tate’s four-year-old son of Night Of Thunder looks ready for a step up in trip. Indeed, his dam was a winner over 6f on Polytrack.
Champion trainer Tony Carroll could be on the cusp of getting Justcallmepete and Betsen into the Final reckoning. The former scooped a valuable prize when completing his hat-trick in a Class 2 handicap at Chelmsford last month. It’s testament to Carroll’s skills that he is peaking at the age of seven.
Ex-Irish recruit Betsen, who was Listed placed as a three-year-old, made an instant impact when beating reigning 3YO Sprint champion Berkshire Whisper in Class 2 company at Southwell in November but hasn’t run since. He will need to improve on his mark of 86 to make the grade but has the back class to do so.
MARATHON
Michael Bell probably wishes the Marathon Final - this year renamed the Easter Plate with a value of £175,000 - was run at Kempton Park. His DUKE OF OXFORD has won five times at the Sunbury track, winning the valuable London Stayers’ Series Final three times. That said, his record at Newcastle bears closer inspection, with two placed finishes in the Final and a third in the 2024 Northumberland Plate.
Held last year by Wonder Legend off his latest mark of 96, The Duke may again prove vulnerable to an improving rival but looks sure to put up another bold show. He could be closely matched with Berkshire Sundance, who has won over 2m at Kempton since going down by just a neck to Bell’s five-year-old in November.
Charlie Johnston’s Sax Appeal and Ian Williams’ equine millionaire Enemy have also won again since finishing fourth and fifth, respectively, to Duke Of Oxford in that London Final and are likely to re-oppose, while Willie Mullins has reportedly declared his intent to thrust Dundalk winner Gaucher into the fray. The seven-year-old, who is a Graded winner over hurdles, powered home over 1m4f in early December to earn a rating of 101.
Meanwhile, George Boughey dropped a strong hint that Brasil Power could step up in trip after winning both his starts over 1m4f with some style at Lingfield and Wolverhampton in December. The 93-rated seven-year-old relaxes well enough to suggest he may see out the Marathon trip and possesses a turn of foot that most stayers can’t match.
MIDDLE-DISTANCE
The handicap format of the £200,000 Easter Classic will rule out John and Thady Gosden’s classy gelding SHADER, who progressed his rating to 114 after winning the Listed Wild Flower Stakes at Kempton in December. However, he will probably go off a short-priced favourite for next month’s Group 3 Winter Derby at Lingfield, when he may renew rivalry with William Haggas’s Dubai Honour. That globetrotting star could have other objectives but did get the better of Shader in the Listed Churchill Stakes at Southwell before the tables were turned at Kempton.
The Winter Derby is a race that Shader’s stable companion Nebras could also contest after lowering the colours of smart All-Weather operator Tyrrhenian Sea in the Listed Quebec Stakes over course and distance on New Year’s Eve. Nebras won a 10f handicap at Newcastle in November before making his stakes breakthrough and would hold strong credentials in the Lingfield showpiece should Shader pursue targets overseas.
Team Gosden could have the Classic in mind for improving filly Morrophore, who won the Winter Oaks Trial over 10f at Lingfield in December and will be a major player in that race proper on 17th January. Tyrrhenian Sea, who was only a head behind Nebras in the Quebec, is another Winter Derby player who may be too highly rated to contest the Classic - a race he was second in when it was run as a conditions race.
Just behind Nebras and Roger Varian’s flashy grey was the David O’Meara-trained Duke’s Command, whose current mark of 95 looks ideal for the Classic. He’s taken his form to a new level since stepping up to 10f, landing a Lingfield handicap before making the frame in better company.
Karl Burke’s hopes of clinching Good Friday honours with Antrim were somewhat dented when he failed to justify short odds over course and distance on New Year’s Day, but this ex-Gosden gelding may yet be capable of better.
REIGNING CHAMPION THE ONE TO CATCH
Reigning champion Tony Carroll is the one to catch in the race to be leading trainer following a purple patch in December and an explosive start to the new year that yielded seven winners in the first four days.
Carroll, who topped the charts with 31 winners at that stage, ended 2025 by breaking the 100-winners barrier and earning over £1 million in prize money - some achievement by a trainer who plies his trade mainly in modest handicaps.
Just seven behind in the opening week of 2026 was Ian Williams, despite having 71 fewer runners, while last season’s runner-up James Owen maintained his rich vein of form with an across-the-card treble on Tuesday, 6th January and is firmly in contention.
Prominent in the table are John and Thady Gosden with a remarkable 37% strike rate, but they tend to run fewer young horses in the early months of the year. James Tate doesn’t have the numbers to match the likes of Carroll, but his first 14 winners were achieved at a strike rate of 33%.
JOCKEYS CHAMPIONSHIP LOOKS WIDE OPEN
Despite Billy Loughnane stealing a march in the jockeys’ championship with 49 winners by New Year’s Day, this season’s title race looks wide open. The teenager will ride in Dubai until the spring, which suggests that one of four riders could take the title he snatched from long-time leader Hector Crouch last year.
Crouch has been among the winners again from the get-go and, with second-placed Rossa Ryan taking a winter break, may yet gain compensation for being pipped at the post last Easter. Ryan signed off at Christmas with the best strike rate of all the top riders - an impressive 22% - and will be in big demand should he choose to ride on.
Multiple champion Luke Morris maintains his relentless work ethic on the sand tracks and is also a contender, together with Cieren Fallon who is determined to maintain the momentum he gained in his best ever year in 2025.
The apprentice title race looks more clear cut, with Jack Callan’s total of 17 looking under threat now he has departed Down Under. Ian Williams’ apprentice Ryan Kavanagh moved into double figures early in the New Year, and given the ammunition his boss is providing, he looks the most obvious young rider to capitalise in a winter when more apprentices than ever seem to have gone abroad to gain experience and protect their claims.
LATIN LEADS CHARGE FOR £100,000 HORSE OF THE YEAR PRIZE
James Owen’s bargain-buy Latin heads the standings in the battle for the £100,000 Horse of the Year prize following his third win of the season at Wolverhampton on 6th January, when he defied a mark of 62 in an extended 1m handicap under regular rider Paddy Bradley.
Latin pulled 20 points clear of second-placed Dandy Khan, who has won four times for Epsom trainer Jim Boyle. The Lingfield specialist’s only defeat in a sequence of five runs was a second at Wolverhampton before Christmas.
Katie Scott’s consistent Newcastle specialist Concert Boy was in third place following two wins and five placed efforts in succession. Aisling Oscar, the only other horse to register four wins so far, currently sits eighth after scooping the December Horse of the Month bonus and is due to run again at Newcastle later in January.
