TONY CALVIN: TODAY’s stats and info – and Three Off The Tee now in here

1.50pm Newcastle – 25/1 One And Gone

I am going to flag up some outsiders on the day that I have backed myself, to very modest stakes.

All-weather racing really is not my bag, let alone these bunfight handicaps.

So minimal stuff.

I’ll start with One And Gone at 25s each way in this 6f handicap. That is available in five places as this race preview goes live (7.23am).

Prepare for hard luck stories throughout the day at Newcastle and Lingfield but hopefully One And Gone has place claims if getting a clean run, which hopefully he will do given his prominent run-style.

A reproduction of his recent placed efforts here and at Lingfield last time, the latter run being a solid performance on the clock and shaping as if more to come under a stronger ride close home, may see him be very competitive again here.

He clearly lacks the upside of an Al Najashi and Silent Strike (though he has had just the eight runs himself) and ideally I’d have liked to see him drawn higher than five, closer to the near rail, but I have had £20 each way on him myself, so I am happy to put in a very quiet word for him here.

He isn’t an obvious shortener, so he may well get bigger than 25s.

2.25pm Newcastle – Shallow at 18/1

Stateira is all the rage here at [6/4] but I have thrown a score each-way at Shallow at 18/1 (16s is fine, with the extra place if you can get on – unlikely I know).

As with One And Gone, she lacks the sexiness of the favourite but she has been running well enough while coming down the handicap, and a mark of 76 could allow her to be in the mix-up here.

She is now 6lb lower than when a good fourth in a big field over 7f at York in August , and this is the first time she has raced over this trip since.

She wasn’t ideally positioned on the track when fifth here in early February but I like her draw in 10 here.

4.10pm Newcastle – Bragbor at 9/1

I have had a score each-way on Bragbor at 9s – I see a theme developing here.

As at 9.49am, he is [14.0] on the exchange.

It was good to see the new Richard and Peter Fahey training partnership stop the rot with a double on Thursday, and hopefully Bragbor has been kept back for this uber-valuable pot (over 90 bags to the winner) after two cracking runs for the stable in November.

A dual course winner when trained  by George Scott, he ran Nebras (now rated 12lb higher) to a head here on his debut for the yard and then was not given an optimum ride/didn’t get an optimum trip when fourth at Chelmsford next time.

He still looks a well-handicapped horse off 92 and Marmite Jamie Spencer (yes, he may hit trouble in running from the rear etc etc – though this horse has made it in the past) takes over from a 7lb claimer on this very lightly-raced 5yo.

I think this looks a very winnable race for the money.

I’ve had three more bets than I thought likely for this all-weather handicap fest then, so that’s me done.

Well, it actually isn’t as I am now on to Saturday’s cards.

Not a very good Friday, then.

My shortlists below stand, fwiw. Have a good one.

COPY to follow later this morning….

I am not sure if there will be any copy/tips but they will appear on Friday morning, if so.

It is not out of laziness – compiling the below would have taken far more time than most spend on their columns – but it is just an honest acceptance that I don’t follow all-weather racing to any meaningful degree, and trouble in running is part and parcel of the game at Lingfield and Newcastle.

And I am not going to pretend otherwise.

Imagine following someone’s thoughts with your hard-earned and then finding out they haven’t risked their own.

I’ll have a good look on Thursday night, though.

Shortlists

These are my loose shortlists at the moment.

I’ll get up at silly o’clock and write up what I am backing myself at the available odds at the time. I won’t be having any bets of note, that is for sure.

Newcastle

1.15pm Jel Pepper/New Monarch – and Billecart maybe

1.50pm One And Gone

2.25pm Shallow

3pm Popmaster/Storm Star

3.35pm – Pocklington, Wiltshire

4.10pm – Brasil Power/Bragbor

4.42pm – Duke Of Oxford/Dramatic Star

Lingfield

1.30pm Cool Molly

2.05pm Vaguely Royal

3.50pm  Sous La Neige

4.25pm Mister Moet/USS Charleston

COURSE DETAILS

NEWCASTLE 

GOING: Standard

Rails: If >14 runners in Race 7, the 2m start will be widened and the rail will remain in that position throughout the race. (As used for Northumberland Plate)

Stalls: 1m2f and 1m4f – Outside 2m – Inside Straight course – Inside

Friday morning course update:  1mm of rain in the last 48 hours. Overcast and breezy this morning. Sunny intervals throughout the day with the odd isolated shower possible. Highs of 12’C. Wind is due to change direction before racing – 17mph Westerly, possible gusts of 30mph. (Headwind in the straight)

LINGFIELD 

GOING: Standard

Stalls: 5f & 1m – outside Remainder – inside

Friday morning course update:  Sunny yesterday, highs of 12C. Forecast: Light showers this morning, clearing around 10am. Remaining cloudy with a small chance of showers through this afternoon, 15C.

BALLOTED OUT (please get your money back on these)

2.40pm Lingfield: Stratusnine, Dark Cloud Rising, Willem Twee, Hundred Caps, Havana Rum, Tyger Bay, Tenbob Tommy, Ay Gee Ell

3.15pm Lingfield: Bragbor, Nolton Cross, Qitaal, Tribal Wisdom, Ted Le Saux, Jez Bomb, Foreseen

3.50pm Lingfield: Shafdar, Bellarchi, Champagne Powder, High On Hope, Tonal, Hitched, Benacre, Final Night, Tribal Wisdom, Mr Baloo, Farasi Lane, Aisling Oscar, Bravo Zulu, Flying Fletcher, Jez Bomb, Foreseen, He’s A Gentleman, Dream of Mischief, Atmosphere

4.25pm Lingfield: Angel Summer, Saffron Dandy

1.50pm Newcastle: Elizabetty

2.25pm Newcastle: Penny Mountain, La Rochette

3.35pm Newcastle – Coul Angel , Heavenly Heather, Apache Outlaw, Baldomero, Dark Cloud Rising, Havana Rum, Stratusnine, The Caltonian, Uncle Don, We Never Stop, William Twee

4.10pm Newcastle: Bravais, Night Breeze, Dark Moon Rising, Great Bedwyn, Qitaal

FIRST-TIME HEADGEAR STATS

PACE MAPS (manually assessed)

1.30pm Lingfield: Party Bear? (drawn 1), Handle With Care (7), Searchingtheblues? (2), Elizabetty (6)

1.50pm Newcastle: Monarch’s Gold (1), Silent Strike (9), Three Non Blondes (7), Northern Empire (3), Saffron Dandy (prom – 2) , Sparksmith (13), One And Gone (5), Justmyluck (8)

2.05pm Lingfield: Appier (11), Circuit Breaker (14)

TRAINERFORM (manually assessed)