BUILDING UP TO LINGFIELD

Ian Heitman is keeping a close eye on the Flat action as winter gallops along

The seventh All Weather Championships began at Newcastle on October 22 and run until Good Friday, April 10, when Lingfield Park stage Finals Day with £1 million of prize money on offer.

To qualify to run for a share of the £1 million, a horse has to have run at least three times during the current allweather season and to be sufficiently highly rated or to have won one of 24 Fast Track Qualifiers that take place amongst the six categories, ThreeYear-Old, Sprint, Mile, Marathon, Fillies & Mares and Middle Distance.

As well as the £1 million on offer, there is £10,000 for the leading jockey, trainer, owner and to connections of the winning most horse during the season. Ben Curtis has built up a useful lead in the jockey’s standings having had an excellent start to the season. Michael Appleby, leading trainer for three of the last four years, is at the top of the trainer’s standings at the time of writing.

THREE-YEAR-OLD

The opening meeting of the season was held at Newcastle and it saw the first of the qualifiers in this category, a conditions race over 6f. Temple Of Heaven, who had been off the track since down the field at Royal Ascot when fancied to run well in the Windsor Castle Stakes, ran out an impressive winner, drawing clear of his four rivals to be win by five lengths from Listed placed Desert Safari who had no chance with the winner inside the last 100 yards. He was one of three winners on the opening day card for Richard Hannon who will target Temple Of Heaven towards Finals Day given his win in this race.