Tony McFadden provides an overview of the key things to note on the racing front on Wednesday.
Three points of interest
Concluding handicap at Newcastle a good race for the grade
The cold snap means it's slim pickings on the racing front at the moment and, with Taunton's meeting subject to an early inspection, there's a chance that the all-weather will have to come to the rescue again.
Newcastle hosts an all-weather card in the afternoon and one race it may be worth paying particularly close attention to is the concluding seven-furlong handicap (16:03). It's only a class 6 but it features a few interesting runners for the level so appeals as a race that might provide strong form for the grade.
Timeform's Horse In Focus Flag is awarded to horses who shaped well and are likely to be of interest next time, and Wyvern and Lahab were both put into the notebook by Timeform's reporters.
Lahab is on a long losing run that stretches back to August 2023 but he has fallen a long way in the weights as a consequence and has offered encouragement on two of his last three starts here, including when keeping on well in third over six furlongs last time. Wyvern was also placed here last time and was arguably unlucky to finish runner-up considering he was short of room over a furlong out and conceded first run as a consequence.
Rebecca's Girl is another who arrives here in form having followed a course-and-distance win with two placed efforts. She narrowly heads Timeform's weight adjusted ratings so should launch another bold bid from the front in a race that could be worth referring to in coming weeks.
Horse In Focus Desert Champion bred to be better
Desert Champion hails from a notable family as his half-sister Queen Kindly won the Group 2 Lowther Stakes at York, as did his dam Lady of The Desert and granddam Queen's Logic. Remarkably, Queen Kindly's daughter Queen Me was only beaten a head in 2022 when bidding to become the fourth in that line to win the Lowther.
Desert Champion, a three-year-old colt by Lope de Vega, may not reach graded level, but he's made a promising start to his career and, given his fine pedigree, looks likely to progress and win races, possibly starting with the six-furlong maiden at Kempton (18:00).
Desert Champion looked in need of the experience when only sixth at Chelmsford on debut but he stepped up on that when only beaten a head and a nose at Southwell last month, leaving the impression he should have won after travelling powerfully but not quite picking up in time in a race that developed into a dash in the straight. That performance earned him Timeform's Horse In Focus Flag and he's a lightly-raced horse to be positive about.
Beccali the one to beat for Appleby
Since the start of 2020, Charlie Appleby has had 75 winners at a strike rate of 31.9% at Kempton. Andrew Balding (92) and the Gosden stable (80) have had more winners, but Appleby is in a league of his own based on strike rate among trainers who have had at least 25 runners at the course, with fellow Godolphin trainer Saeed Bin Suroor next on the list at 23.6%.
Appleby's strike rate at Kempton even compares favourably to his impressive overall record in British Flat races since the start of 2020 which stands at 29%.
Appleby's only runner at Kempton on Wednesday is Beccali in the mile handicap (19:30) which is the penultimate race on the card. Even without considering his trainer's record the eye is drawn to Beccali who is narrowly top on Timeform's weight-adjusted ratings and also has the 'small p' to show he is likely to improve.
Beccali made a winning nursery debut over seven furlongs at Wolverhampton last month, despite still looking green and hanging under pressure, and the way he kept going there suggests he will benefit from this step up to a mile.
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