Earl Of Tyrone makes his first appearance for William Haggas in the Unibet 3 Uniboosts A Day Conditions Stakes (8.00pm) at Kempton Park on Wednesday, February 8, a Fast-Track Qualifier for the £150,000 All-Weather Marathon Championships on Good Friday.
Formerly based in Ireland with Paddy Twomey, Earl Of Tyrone captured a Limerick Listed race in June and finished third in the Ebor at York during a progressive 2022 campaign. The five-year-old joined Haggas after selling for 300,000 guineas at Tattersalls in the autumn.
Berkshire Rocco, who was runner-up in the 2021 St Leger, Rainbow Dreamer and last year’s Marathon champion Earlofthecotswolds headline the opposition, with the trio having filled the first three places in a Fast-Track Qualifier at Southwell last month.
Rainbow Dreamer is a two-time winner of this race for Alan King but failed in his bid for the hat-trick last year when disappointing behind Harry & Roger Charlton’s Sleeping Lion, who lines up again after 299 days off the track.
Earlofthecotswolds has won three of his four appearances on Kempton Park’s all-weather track for Nigel Twiston-Davies, the latest of which saw him beat subsequent Royal Ascot winner Coltrane by six lengths in a Fast-Track Qualifier in March.
Assistant trainer Willy Twiston-Davies said: “Earlofthecotswolds is all good and we feel he has sharpened up a lot for his first run back at Southwell.
“I don’t know why but for whatever reason – even though we took him for a racecourse gallop before Southwell – he seems to come on a lot for a run, whether it be on the all-weather or over jumps.
“This looks a very competitive race but we know he likes the course and hopefully he can give it another good go now he has that run under his belt.”
Dual purpose performer Metier makes his all-weather debut for Harry Fry. The seven-year-old has landed two notable prizes over hurdles, including the 2021 G1 Tolworth Hurdle, and made a successful return to the flat in last year’s November Handicap at Doncaster.
The eight runners also include Hugo Palmer’s Solent Gateway and the Camilla Poulton-trained Aced it, who were both in winning action last time out in handicaps at Lingfield Park and Kempton Park respectively.
