Chelmsford City hosts its third Fast-Track Qualifier of this season's All-Weather Championships on Sunday, February 7, with a field of four going for the £30,000 totequadpot Conditions Stakes (3.10pm).
The winner of the five-furlong Polytrack Fast-Track Qualifier receives an automatic free place in the £150,000 Unibet 3-Y-O Sprint All-Weather Championships Conditions Stakes over the same distance at Lingfield Park on Good Friday, March 25. Three of the quartet clashed in a Fast-Track Qualifier over a furlong further at Kempton Park on January 17. On that occasion, Gracious John (David Evans/John Egan) made all for a decisive length and a half victory over Field Of Vision (Joe Tuite/George Baker), with Thatsallimsaying (David Evans/Josephine Gordon) a further five lengths back in third. Dean Ivory has already enjoyed Fast-Track Qualifier success at Chelmsford City with Lancelot Du Lac, who broke the course record when scoring over five furlongs on January 2, and the Hertfordshire handler is looking forward to running Kadrizzi. The three-year-old son of Hurricane Cat was fifth in a maiden on his only previous appearance at the course in July but made all for a comfortable victory under Robert Winston, who takes the ride again, when carrying top-weight in a handicap over five furlongs, also on Polytrack, at Lingfield Park on January 20. He was narrowly beaten in a pair of six-furlong handicaps on both his other starts during this season's All Weather Championships, going down by a head at Lingfield Park on December 20 and losing out by a neck on Tapeta at Wolverhampton earlier the same month. Ivory commented today: "Kadrizzi has run at Chelmsford City once before, when he didn't appear to handle the track very well, so that is a little bit of a concern but he is a nice, progressive horse and I like him a lot. "I was really delighted with his win at Lingfield Park last time and I couldn't have asked for a better run. "I had never really thought of him as a five-furlong horse as he is bred for further but is a gutsy and lovely little horse. "We also wanted to run him over the same course and distance as the big race on Good Friday to see how he got on and you must never be frightened to try new things. "I don't think he will necessarily have to make the pace again. Gracious John is a front-runner and, with only four runners, it might get a little tactical. At least we know that Kadrizzi will be finishing strongly over five furlongs. "He's got this race and then we have the other Fast-Track Qualifier at Wolverhampton on March 4 in mind for him ahead of Finals Day. He has already had his three runs this season, so should have hopefully qualified for Good Friday anyway with his rating." A six-race card at Chelmsford City on Sunday gets underway at 2.10pm and concludes at 4.40pm. Chelmsford City hosts a further Fast-Track Qualifier on March 3, when a free place in the £150,000 32Red All-Weather Marathon Championships Conditions Stakes will be on offer in the £25,000 totetrifecta Conditions Stakes over two miles. There are also two Fast-Track Qualifiers at Lingfield Park tomorrow, Saturday, February 6, with 12 due to run in the £45,000 Listed Unibet Cleves Stakes (1.45pm -6f) and nine set for the £45,000 coral.co.uk Winter Derby Trial (2.55pm - 10f).
