Impressive trial winner Bangkok features among 17 acceptors for the £100,000 G3 Betway Winter Derby at Lingfield Park on Saturday, February 22, details of which are revealed today.
The 10-furlong Polytrack contest, one of the highlights of the All-Weather Championships, is a Fast-Track Qualifier for the £200,000 Betway Easter Classic over the course and distance on Finals Day, Good Friday, April 10.
Bangkok (Andrew Balding) is the 2/1 favourite with Betway following a dominant success on his All-Weather debut in the Listed Betway Winter Derby Trial on February 1, when he defeated last year's Betway Winter Derby runner-up Court House by four and a half lengths.
Court House is one of three contenders for John Gosden. Britain's champion trainer is also responsible for leading fancies Dubai Warrior, who impressed over the course and distance in the Listed Betway Quebec Stakes in December, and eye-catching Wolverhampton conditions race victor Global Giant. Gosden captured the Betway Winter Derby in 2019 with Wissahickon.
French handler Henri-Francois Devin is considering a cross-Channel raid with Villa Rosa. The five-year-old gained her biggest victory to date in the G3 La Coupe at Maisons-Laffitte in September and was last seen out when fifth in the G2 Prix Dollar at Longchamp on October 5, both over 10 furlongs. She is a 10/1 chance with Betway.
Devin said: "Villa Rosa is is going to do a piece of work on Tuesday [February 11] and then we will make a decision about whether or not she goes for the Betway Winter Derby.
"She is coming along nicely, but with a filly coming out of the winter, ideally you would like to see her flourish a bit.
"There is a chance the Winter Derby might come a bit too soon, but I have been happy with her work up to now.
"She is a good filly and won a G3 at Maisons-Laffitte. She just didn't handle the very soft ground in the Prix Dollar on Arc weekend, although she was not beaten far."
There could be Irish-trained representation courtesy of Numerian (Joseph O'Brien). The four-year-old progressed steadily in 2019 and ended the campaign with a head second in G3 Diamond Stakes on Polytrack at Dundalk in September.
Several horses who finished behind Bangkok in the Betway Winter Derby Trial also remain engaged, including the third Dalgarno (Jane Chapple-Hyam), fourth Pactolus (Stuart Williams) and fifth Master The World (David Elsworth), who landed the Betway Winter Derby in 2018.
Others to note are G3 scorer Century Dream (Simon Crisford), Felix, who is unbeaten in two starts on the All-Weather since joining Marco Botti, and last year's G2 German 2000 Guineas runner-up Arctic Sound (Mark Johnston).
CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE TICKETS FOR THE BETWAY WINTER DERBY TRIAL
