Willie Mullins is no stranger to breaking new ground and Gaucher bids to give the multiple champion Jump trainer a first Finals Day success in the Midnite All-Weather Easter Classic (4.10pm).
The 10-furlong contest forms part of a £1m bonanza at Newcastle on Good Friday, April 3, with 79 runners set to do battle across the six championship finals.
Hailing from a storied Wertheimer family, Gaucher made a successful switch to hurdling with three Graded victories, but the seven-year-old has emerged as a force on the all-weather at Dundalk over the winter.
Following a fourth on his Flat return in November, the son of Frankel routed the opposition in two subsequent appearances over middle distances – taking a handicap by six lengths and a conditions race by five and a half lengths.
Andrew Balding’s Regal Ulixes receives 7lb from the top weight and could have more to offer judged on his smooth success at Lingfield Park’s AWC Trials Day. The four-year-old had over-raced when sixth behind King’s Code (David Evans) in the corresponding trial at Newcastle in January.
The Richard & Peter Fahey-trained Bragbor has yet to finish out of the frame in six appearances at Newcastle. Antrim also boasts a good strike-rate at the course, with two wins from three starts, and returns on the back of three runs on dirt in Dubai for Karl Burke.
Last year’s fourth Paradias is on a 3lb higher mark this time for Alan King, having produced a career-best performance to beat a well-handicapped rival at Lingfield Park in February.
Duke’s Command, one of two runners for David O’Meara, bids to recapture his early season form, which included a third in the Listed Midnite Quebec Stakes at Lingfield Park. He is joined by stablemate Zryan, who scored over the course and distance three starts ago.
Balding’s other contender Teumessias Fox and Lucy Wadham’s The Glen Rovers are competitively handicapped on their best form. The former is 1lb lower than his Rosebery Handicap success last spring, while the latter is 3lb higher than when defeating subsequent G2 winner Charlotte’s Web at Lingfield Park’s trials meeting last season.
Those further down the weights include nine-time course winner Midnight Lion for Jim Goldie and the Ian Williams-trained Parlando, who was runner-up to King’s Code at the course in January. Brasil Power and Nolton Cross line up for George Boughey and Hugo Palmer.
The Ian Williams-trained duo of Bravais and Night Breeze are first and second reserve.
Runners chasing a £15,000 bonus:
King’s Code
Regal Ulixes
The view from connections
Andrew Balding, trainer of Regal Ulixes and Teumessias Fox, said: “Regal Ulixes had to squeeze in a third qualifying run following his Lingfield win, which meant backing up quickly in the Lincoln Trial over a trip short of his best. It was not ideal, but he still ran a decent race from a poor draw. He is a very talented horse and, provided he relaxes and does everything the right way around, he should be very competitive. Teumessias Fox has been tough to place, having gone up in the weights last year, but the handicapper has dropped him a few pounds over the winter. The pick of his form on the all-weather, including when winning the Rosebery at Kempton last year, would give him a chance.”
Patrick Mullins, assistant trainer of Gaucher, said: “He has thrived since switching back to the Flat, which probably should not have been a huge surprise given he is by Frankel and out of Group One-winning mare Left Hand. A mark of 106 and top weight in a race like this makes things more difficult, but we think he can be competitive. We are not sending him over for the fresh air anyway!”
Richard Fahey, co-trainer of Bragbor, said: “We got the horse qualified not long after we bought him, so we decided to give him a bit of a break. We have been happy with him in the lead up to this. He has some nice pieces of form at the track, although whether he is good enough to win, we will have to see.”
David O’Meara, trainer of Duke’s Command and Zryan, said: “We opted for this race for Duke’s Command rather than the Mile as he had some good form over this trip earlier in the season. The race last time was steadily run over a shorter trip and turned into a sprint, which probably did not suit him. He has come out of it in good shape and I would be hopeful that he can run a nice race. Zryan has form at the track and we thought we’d let him take his chance, given he sneaks in at the bottom of the weights.”
Karl Burke, trainer of Antrim, said: “He is another one of ours who has been out in Dubai over the winter, including when winning on the dirt. He has won a couple of times at Newcastle, so we know he likes the track. He seems really well in himself and I think he is on a nice mark of 95.”
Alan King, trainer of Paradias, said: “He has had a terrific winter and comes here on a career-high mark [103] as a result. Moving back to a mile and a quarter is probably not ideal, although Newcastle is a stiff track. This has been the target for some time and hopefully he can run as well as last year before switching back to the turf.”
Ian Williams, trainer of Parlando, said: “He has had a solid winter that included a trip to St Moritz in February. He showed his wellbeing after that with a good run at Kempton over a trip that was probably further than ideal. That was a decent prep for this.”
