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Lord North is the star attraction when he kicks off his 2023 campaign in the £100,000 Group Three BetUK Winter Derby at Lingfield on Saturday, live on Sky Sports Racing.
The three-time Group One winner chased home Alenquer in a quality renewal of the 10-furlong contest 12 months ago, with Lord North then dead-heated with Panthalassa in the Dubai Turf.
Lord North, who leads three runners for John & Thady Gosden, has been placed since finishing a close fourth behind Vadeni in the Coral-Eclipse at Sandown Park in July.
Seven-year-old jockey Robert Havlin said: “Lord North seems really well. I have ridden him in the last two pieces of work and I am a little clearer than he came to the race last year.
“We’re using this as preparation for the Dubai Turf again, but I’m looking forward to running for real. He feels more active than last year.
“We took him for a day away in Chelmsford recently. He doesn’t gallop but has a nice canter around and that will make him better mentally more than anything.
“He’s seven years old now and can be a bit lazy at home but his work has brightened a bit. He’s the best horse in the race and I hope he can show it.”
Forest Of Dean in winning action at Goodwood
The Gosdens have a strong hand as they bid for a fourth victory in the last five editions of the race, with Lord of the North join 2021 victor Forest of Dean and Harrovian.
South African jockey Collen Storey hit the headlines after guiding Forest Of Dean to a decisive victory in the Fast-Track Qualifier at Newcastle in January, a race in which Harrovian finished third.
Storey, who moves to Newmarket in October 2021 having ridden 222 winners in his homeland, said: “Forest Of Dean is really good. I sat back this morning and he has a fresh feel. He has come in a bit from Newcastle.
“Wed [Havlin] rode him quite handy when they won the Winter Derby a few years ago, while in Newcastle I dropped him and flew when I pulled out. It’s impressive how fast it goes up.
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Jamie Spencer fears rival John Gosden but hopes King Of The South can take the prize money in the Winter Derby.
“I won a Stakes race in Zimbabwe under the name Raven Girl and have also placed in several other Stakes races. It is difficult to ride this big race and I am very excited for this opportunity. , I hope we can pull it off.
“After I won at the Forest Of Dean in Newcastle, I said my aim is to ride the Group championship through here. If I can move that dead, I would like to see what next year can give me.”
The race is a Fast-Track Qualifier for the £200,000 Easter Classic, with last season’s Final Day highlights represented by the runners-up. Tyrrhenian Sea (Roger Varian).
Lucander has George Baker making a quick comeback after winning the local Group Two in Bahrain last week, while Andrew Balding hopes the gelding’s surgery can rejuvenate the Group Three champion. Tales of Foxes.
All weather specialist William Knight King of the South and John Ryan Pistoletto complete the field.
Tone The Barone is set for the Hever test
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Jockey Rossa Ryan is in confident mood as he looks ahead to Tone The Barone’s outing in the Listed Hever Sprint Stakes at Lingfield on Saturday, live on Sky Sports Racing.
Elsewhere on the card, prolific sprinter Tone The Barone bid for a 10th all-weather success for Stuart Williams in the Listed BetUK raises Sprint over five furlongs.
The competitive line-up also featured John Quinn’s speedy Miss Nay Never and David O’Meara’s Alligator Alley, who won three races earlier in the season.
The Robert Cowell-trained Arecibo, third in last year’s Group Two Temple Stakes, makes his first all-weather appearance since 2019, while Karl Burke’s Exalted Angel has his first visor after finishing a close third in the BetUK Kachy Stakes.
Look Out Louis (Julie Camacho) and last year’s One Night Stand winner (Scott Dixon) are other names to note.
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