Alrazeen looks a stayer going places after he posted an emphatic victory in a class three handicap at Southwell last week.
In scoring by just under four lengths, Gay Kelleway’s three-year-old was following up a similarly dominant success at Wolverhampton in November.
The son of Galileo Gold, who was just touched off on his first start over a staying trip at Wolverhampton in October, has been given a 6lb hike to 86.
Kelleway said: “Alrazeen has come out of Southwell really well. I have him entered on Friday but he won’t run. I wanted to cover myself just in case the handicapper put him up to a ridiculous mark. He has gone up 6lb, which I think is fair.
“He is a big baby really, as he is still only three. He looks like he is improving and it feels that way at home as well. He has turned a corner lately as he was a bit naughty to ride to begin with. He has turned himself into a racehorse now and is nice and tractable.
“The Northumberland Plate stands out as a long-term target and there are some nice races this winter before then. He will probably go for a 0-85 at Newcastle on January 1 and, if all goes well there, he could go back to Newcastle on January 17 for the trials meeting.
“His ultimate aim will be Finals Day and we also have our eye on the All-Weather Bonus as well, as he is currently 16th in the overall leaderboard.”
Elsewhere, Champagne Prince has the G3 BetUK Winter Derby on his radar following a game front-running success in the Listed Unibet Wild Flower Stakes at Kempton Park. Jane Chapple-Hyam’s three-year-old has now won four of his five starts on the all-weather.
The same Kempton Park fixture saw Michael Bell’s Duke Of Oxford win the Unibet London Stayers’ Series Final for a second successive year. Now up to a career-high mark of 96, the four-year-old will look to go one place better in the Marathon Championships on Good Friday.
There may be a possible Marathon contender in France after Chess posted a convincing success in a two-mile handicap at Chantilly. Pia & Joakim Brandt’s lightly raced stayer was following up another comfortable success over the course and distance in October.
Charlie Hills enjoyed two notable winners at Southwell, with last year’s G2 Champagne Stakes victor Iberian making a successful return in a six-furlong conditions race. The son of Lope De Vega could now look towards the turf sprint on the Saudi Cup undercard.
Hills also struck with veteran sprinter Equilateral, who reversed form with Newcastle scorer Kylian in a five-furlong handicap. A G2 scorer at Meydan in his pomp, this was Equilateral’s first success since taking a valuable handicap at York’s Ebor Festival in 2023.
Progressive filly Moonspirit returned from a 133-day break to take a mile handicap on the same Southwell card for George Boughey. The daughter of Kingman makes a quick reappearance in Wednesday’s Listed Prix Petite Etoile at Deauville, in which fellow UK raiders Aquacell, Glor Tire and Lady Of Spain also feature.
Last season’s Fillies & Mares Championships scorer Cloud Cover made a successful cross-Channel raid over the weekend, with James Tate’s filly annexing Deauville’s Listed Prix Miss Satamixa.
The Ed Dunlop-trained Sterling Knight recorded his 10th career success in a mile handicap at Chelmsford, seeing off last season’s Mile Championships runner-up Kingdom Come by half a length.
David Simcock is responsible for the most significant handicap mover this week, with Raja Raja going up 9lb to 82 for winning a 12-furlong Southwell handicap by four and a quarter lengths.
Damysus headed up several newcomers to make impressive debuts recently, with the Frankel colt taking a Southwell novice in striking fashion for John & Thady Gosden.
