A starting berth in the Betway All-Weather Sprint Championship is up for grabs in the Betway Conditions Stakes (5.00pm) at Newcastle tomorrow, Tuesday, January 12, the sole five-furlong Fast-Track Qualifier of the championships.
Venturous (David Barron/Tom Marquand) had a strong end to the 2020 campaign, winning five-furlong handicaps at Doncaster, Newcastle and latterly Wolverhampton on December 18.
Exalted Angel (Karl Burke/Clifford Lee) finished second to Venturous at Newcastle and third behind the same rival at Wolverhampton having forfeited lengths at the start on each occasion. The progressive five-year-old had won twice on the Fibresand at Southwell earlier in the year.
Trainer Karl Burke said today: “Exalted Angel is in great order and I am looking forward to seeing him run.
“He has been a bit tardy out of the stalls on his last couple of starts, which has left him with ground to make up. I think he would have definitely beaten Venturous at Newcastle had he jumped on terms.
“If he jumps reasonably well tomorrow and is able to track the leaders, he will run a big race. He is a nice horse on the upgrade, I think.”
Veteran All-Weather campaigner Royal Birth (Stuart Williams/Jason Hart) was back to his best over the festive period, beating Ornate (David Griffiths/Phil Dennis) at Lingfield Park on December 22 and following up at the same track on January 4. In total, the 10-year-old has won 10 of his 53 starts on the All-Weather.
The unknown quantity in the field is Bomb Proof (James Fanshawe/PJ McDonald), who has not raced since finishing seventh on his handicap debut at Ascot in July. He had looked a horse of considerable promise prior to that, winning his first two starts at York and Beverley.
Tawny Port (Stuart Williams/Ben Curtis) drops back to five furlongs for the first time in over a year. He registered three victories over the minimum distance last winter but has raced exclusively over six furlongs since then.
The seven runners are completed by Lomu (David Loughnane/Paul Mulrennan), a winner over the course and distance on his penultimate start.
Menu
