Lingfield Park host three race meetings this week. Pic: Courtesy of Arena Racing Company.

By Simon Jackson at Lingfield Park.

Anglophile booked his place in the £150,000 marathon race at the All-Weather Championships Finals by winning the fast track qualifier over course and distance at Lingfield Park.

The Charlie Appleby-trained 2-1 shot proved superior to his five rivals on Wednesday to score by four and a half lengths in the £19,000 32Red Conditions Stakes. The event doubled as a fast-track qualifier for the 32Red Casino All-Weather Marathon on Finals Day at Lingfield on Good Friday.

The four-year-old raced close to the pace for jockey Martin Lane throughout the one mile, seven furlongs and 169 yards contest. He took the lead turning into the home straight and quickened impressively to race away from 16-1 shot Uramazin, who ran well, and third-placed Castilo Del Diablo.

“It was very straightforward for Anglophile,” Lane said of the winner who was won six and placed four times in 13 starts.

“He travelled well – which he was always going to do stepping up in trip – and picked up really well when I gave him a squeeze up the straight. You could not fault the performance at all.

“Dashing Star has set a strong gallop and when he dropped away George [Baker on Triumphant] kept it going. It was an end-to-end gallop and Anglophile has stayed really well.

“He has been lightly-raced and we have seen the best of him this winter. I don’t think it is the all-weather that has made a difference, I just think he has taken a bit of time to mature and is growing up.
“This summer or even next summer, he could be a top-class stayer.”

Anglophile’s victory provided the gelding’s owners, Godolphin, with a seventh fast-track qualifier success in the All-Weather Championships and the second in the marathon category, after Hidden Gold’s success at Wolverhampton in December.

Horses qualify for the seven championship contests at the £1.1-million All-Weather Championships Finals Day (Good Friday, April 3, 2015) by winning a specified fast-track qualifying race, or by running in a minimum of three times on selected all-weather tracks.

The meeting on Wednesday was the first of three race days this week at Lingfield, who also race on Friday January 23 and Saturday January 24.

Read ‘Horse Talk with Simon Jackson’ at London24 for the latest horse racing news.