Friday Channel 4 Racing Tips: Back Baz to give us a Big run in the Mile

Some cracking Good Friday racing at Lingfield for the All Weather Championships, so we will get stuck straight in courtesy of Lamar at odds of 7.06/1 or better in the opener at 13:40.

The obvious negative is the fact she is drawn 11 of 11 and is dropping back 3f in trip after running a blinder when just touched off by Grendisar over 1m2f here last time. But that is why we are getting 6-1 and not 4-1 and, anyway, the booking of a certain Ryan Moore rather eases my concerns, too.

She is officially the highest-rated horse in the race, comes here after a career-best effort last time and has plenty of form over 6f/7f, so I don't see the drop in trip being too much of an issue.

Obviously, she will need luck in running - that is a given around here - but she does have tactical speed, and I'd have her vying for favouritism.

We may as well attack this card in chronological order and, while everyone keeps telling me that Pretend is one of the good things of the day, I can see that for myself thanks, given that he is trading at around the 11-8 mark.

Back him if you want - he is much the likeliest winner - but you can make a decent case for four of five against him, and Foxtrot Romeo is the top of my list at odds of 17.016/1 in the 14:10.

He clearly needs to improve on his recent efforts to take this prize - although of course he would just about win this if coming back to the form of his Irish 2,000 Guineas second back in 2012 - but there has been a lot of promise in his two runs back after a break.

It could be that he needed his first run after a 14-week break when a fair fourth over course and distance in February and his next run over 1m here last month could just have been a tuning-up exercise for this, as they left the blinkers off and he wasn't subjected to a hard race up the inner.

The blinkers are back on today and he is guaranteed the fast-run race that he needs over 6f with Chookie Royale in the line-up, and I can see him being played very late. At 16-1, he rates a decent bet and I wouldn't put you off backing him win and place.

Lexington Times would be my idea of the most likely winner of the day - well, after Tryster in the Easter Classic anyway - in the 14:40 but the problem is his price. He was 11-4 when put up by ATR's Hugh Taylor earlier in the week and now trades at 2.747/4 as a result, so I have to let him go unbacked at those odds.

If he drifts to 2-1+, I will be investing, though, so watch the market carefully.

It's a common theme of the day but although I really rate Sovereign Debt's chance in the mile, I just can't get overly-excited by odds of around 3-1. And also I wasn't expecting Big Baz to be trading at 16.015/1, so he gets my vote in the 15:15.

Big Baz certainly comes in here on an upward curve after an excellent second to Lunar Deity over track and trip last time. That was his first run since January, and connections reported that he needed the race pretty badly, too. There could be more improvement to come from him.

I can't honestly see past Tryster in the 15:45 - though I think Complicit could be the one to benefit if he underperforms - but backing at odds of around 1.645/8 isn't really my style.

The remaining two races on the card are on ATR, and I suspect that fans of a certain Spurs and England striker could be chucking a few quid at Harry Hurricane in the 3yo sprint at 16:15.

But the lack of experience around Lingfield puts me off him at around the 6-1 mark in such a competitive race, though Charlie Appleby's second string Blue Aegean may be a bit overpriced at 12.011/1 if you fancy a non-C4 nibble.

I am going to extend my brief a little though, if I may, and put up John Reel at odds of 9.08/1 in the Marathon at 16:45.

He is rated only 1lb behind favourite Anglophile and ran a career-best when just touched off at Chelmsford last time, where Fire Fighting - inched out in a Kempton handicap subsequently off a mark of 100 - was well behind in third.

He has run two crackers on both starts here and odds of 8-1 don't do himself justice at all, and I think he will give the Godolphin horses plenty to think about here.

Over at Musselburgh, I really like the look of Suraj in the 14:25. He rates a very decent bet at 15.014/1 or bigger.

I like this one's chance on quite a few levels, not least the step back to 1m6f as I don't think that he truly stays upwards of 2m on the Flat.

The switch from Nicky Henderson to Keith Dalgleish is certainly no negative either, and I think his new trainer got an absolute bargain for just 9,000gns at the Ascot Sales last August. And Dalgleish has had a lot of success for the new owners, too.

The subsequent absence is a slight worry, but I think this horse is very well-treated on a mark of 89 if Dalgleish has him fit and firing today.

And he has gone well when fresh in the past, too. In fact, I backed him at a big price before he was gambled into 11-2 favouritism at York first time out last May, and wasn't overly-enthused by the ride he got before staying on into sixth from well off the pace that day.

Back down in trip, his jockey should have no stamina concerns today and I am expecting a big run. I will be punting him accordingly.

Recommended Bets
Back Lamar @ 7.06/1 in the 13:40 at Lingfield
Back Foxtrot Romeo @ 17.016/1 in the 14:10 at Lingfield
Back Big Baz @ 16.015/1 in the 15:15 at Lingfield
Back John Reel @ 9.08/1 in the 16:45 at Lingfield
Back Suraj @ 15.014/1 in the 14:25 Musselburgh