High-class field for Winter Derby
Wednesday 11 February 2015 15:12, UK
Grandeur and Captain Cat are two of the star names among 35 entries for the coral.co.uk Winter Derby at Lingfield on March 14.
Both the Jeremy Noseda-trained Grandeur and Roger Charlton's Captain Cat won on All-Weather Championships Finals Day at the track on Good Friday of last year, winning the Coral Easter Classic and the Ladbrokes Mile respectively.
Grandeur went on to run well in top-level events in America, while Captain Cat went on to win twice at Group Three level before finishing fifth in the Queen Elizabeth II at Ascot in October.
Complicit is an intriguing potential contender for Paul Cole. The four-year-old has won five times from six starts on the all-weather and impressed at Lingfield on his latest start in December.
Oliver Cole, assistant to his father, Paul, said: "Complicit is very well in himself. He had a break after his win at Lingfield and is back in work again.
"He will go straight to the Winter Derby and then hopefully on to All-Weather Championships Finals Day.
"I don't think you could fault his performance at Lingfield last time - I thought he was very, very good. He won it easily.
"He has a rating of 108 - which is pretty high - and you would hope he will be competitive in the Winter Derby and on Finals Day. It all depends on what turns up on the day."
William Haggas has entered Battalion, who won the Listed Coral Churchill Stakes over the course and distance in November, and French Group Three victor Graphic.
Fellow Newmarket handler John Gosden has four engaged, including Cloudscape and the once-race maiden winner Mahsoob, while Marco Botti's three contenders include Quebec Stakes victor Grendisar.
Jim Bolger is responsible for all three of the Irish-trained entries. He has put in Group winners Parish Hall and Light Heavy, plus lightly-raced four-year-old Mandatario.
Other notable entries include Australian Group One winner Side Glance (Andrew Balding), who is more likely to head to Dubai, and Cambridgeshire hero Bronze Angel (Marcus Tregoning).
