Newmarket trainer Hugo Palmer has a three-strong team led by Encrypted as he targets his first £1-million All-Weather Championships Finals Day winner at Lingfield Park on Good Friday, April 19.
Encrypted has been kept fresh since gaining a head victory in the Listed Betway Golden Rose Stakes, a Fast-Track Qualifier, over six furlongs on Polytrack at Lingfield Park in November, which guaranteed him a free start in the £150,000 Betway All-Weather Sprint Championship over the same course and distance on Good Friday.
The four-year-old son of Showcasing, owned and bred by Khalid Abdullah, has been successful on four of his five starts on the All-Weather to date and also captured a valuable six-furlong handicap on turf at York in June, 2018.
Palmer's Finals Day team is completed by lightly-raced Shamardal filly Heavenly Holly in the £150,000 Ladbrokes Fillies & Mares' All-Weather Championship (7f) and Gale Force Ten colt James Street in the £150,000 Ladbrokes Three-Year-Old All-Weather Championship (6f).
Dual winner Heavenly Holly is open to improvement after just four starts and was last seen out when beaten three quarters of a length in fifth when trying to make all in a Listed contest over an extended seven furlongs on Polytrack at Deauville, France, on December 23.
James Street has a victory and two seconds to his name from four starts on the All-Weather this winter.
Palmer reported today: "Encrypted is in good form and goes for the Sprint Championship. He will have to be at the top of his game to beat Kachy, but it is worth having a go and hopefully he could develop into a Wokingham horse in time.
"Heavenly Holly runs in the Fillies & Mares Championship and seven furlongs around Lingfield should suit her well. She has done very well over the winter and hopefully there is more improvement there.
"James Street is another horse in good form and he runs in the Three-Year-Old Championship. He was second at Lingfield two starts ago when not entirely handling the course. He wasn't beaten far and there is more to come from him."
Palmer has saddled five runners during the past five runnings of All-Weather Championships Finals Day - High Time Too came closest to winning when second in the 2014 Ladbrokes Fillies & Mares' All-Weather Championship.
Entries for All-Weather Championships Finals Day, which has prize money of £1 million, are are revealed on Saturday, April 13.
