SD's Racing Ramble: Lingfield's worrying path and two Southern National fancies

Having amassed a loyal following on our Races Now YouTube channel thanks to a combination of outstanding tipping and forthright opinions, the inimitable 'SD' has now signed up for a weekly column right here on OddsNow.com!

Today's latest edition features observations on horse racing's declining depth in the south east of England and two each-way recommendations for Sunday's Southern National at Fontwell.

I do love a day at Lingfield Park.

Set in leafy Surrey, it is a tranquil spot against the malaise of urban life in the southeast. I thought the Winter Million there was a roaring success, but the dilution of the programme book over recent years has makes the eyes water.

In 2009, Lingfield lost the Summit Juvenile Hurdle to Doncaster. Thirteen years later, the rot really set in. All weather finals — your correspondent’s idea of the most feral day in the calendar but worth plenty — was moved to Newcastle.

In 2024, the Winter Derby was moved to Southwell. This weekend’s Churchill Stakes has gone to Newcastle and 2025 will see the Winter Million gone for a burton to Windsor.

Lingfield Park is unable to operate floodlights due to its proximity to Gatwick airport. It is twelve years since Arena Leisure/ Northern Racing, as it was then, closed Hereford temporarily and Folkestone for good. The latter had turned into a rotting relic and is much missed.

Lingfield would dwarf the proposed site in terms of real estate value. It is to be hoped that there is no correlation in moving big races to suffering the same fate of Kent’s only racecourse. Such an act would be an unnecessary puncture in the rich tapestry of British racing.

Lingfield Park's habit of losing its leading races is a worrying trend (Alamy)

Also requiring addressing is the ease to which established races are moved between venues within a racecourse group.

Moving races from Lingfield to Newcastle is frankly farcical. Moving fixtures, as has become commonplace from one venue to another, within a group is also seemingly given a free ride.

It is about time the regulator grew a pair and provided something other than waving through of unchecked changes which favour nobody apart from the venue holding them.

Southern National should cut up nicely

The Southern National has been helpfully priced up ante post by our friends in Stoke at Fontwell on Sunday.

One of the oddities of this weekend's action is we have 3 chases run within a furlong of each other over 2 days. The fixture list in this regard is an unnecessary sieve for runners and consequently there is value to be had if one can work out where each horse can go.

There are 18 entries at Fontwell, and in an early gesture of goodwill to all men, our saviours are a quarter first four. The reality of the situation is that double figures is probably odds against in regards to final field size.

Haruki Gulf, an excellent second at Cheltenham last time out, looks great value at 14/1 each-way given he only has one entry.

Nick Gifford’s sole entry, meanwhile, is River Tyne, a game winner at Plumpton last time on decent ground.

At 6/1 and, again, each way given the generosity of the place book, he is suggested as the second dart in a race which will surely cut up and hopefully can make us look smug come Sunday afternoon.

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