At The Races’ All-Weather expert Simon Mapletoft looks ahead to Saturday’s Fast Track Qualifier at Wolverhampton for the Good Friday Marathon Final and pinpoints the weekend’s best bets on the sand.
Godolphin missed out on the Marathon Championship last season when Anglophile was denied by Mymatechris, but the boys in blue can guarantee themselves a live Good Friday Final contender when FAMOUS KID re-appears in the Fast-Track Qualifier at Wolverhampton on Saturday (8.45). Saeed Bin Suroor’s four-year-old stands out among the declarations for the extended two-mile feature having beaten last season’s Marathon Final runner-up Anglophile by a commanding six lengths at Chelmsford City last month. He hasn’t tackled a trip this far but looks sure to stay and is taken to confirm the form with Charlie Appleby’s runner. Anglophile has nothing to prove tripwise but has 8lb to find with his Chelmsford conqueror on these terms. He is entitled to close the gap after being in need of that first run since the spring but will find it difficult to turn the tables if Famous Kid runs up to his best. Another contender is Ralph Beckett’s improving filly Moonrise Landing but she, too, has her work cut out to deny the son of Street Cry that golden ticket to Finals Day. Click here to read on for news and selections from Southwell & Wolverhampton...
