Paradias looks in great nick for another tilt at the big bucks at Newcastle over Easter

March 25

There is no better place on a crisp spring morning than high up on the Sharp Ridge gallop, and, with five winners from his last 19 runners, Alan was yesterday fairly chipper as he looked ahead to the 2026 Flat season, while stressing that he also has one eye on Aintree and Punchestown.

Paradias, a close fourth in last season’s All-Weather Middle Distance Championship at Newcastle, is being fine-tuned for a return to Gosforth Park for the same race on Easter Monday, and he looked in great shape as he led our classy 1,000 Guineas entry Deedaydiva up the hill.

It would need a career-best performance from Paradias, who has been raised 2lb by the handicapper for last month’s cosy Lingfield success over subsequent winner Respond.

But Paradias looks to have a solid each-way chance, being a model of consistency, having finished out of the frame only once in his last nine races.

However, Deedaydiva has always been the apple of Alan’s eye, and the Churchill filly travelled ominously well behind Paradias as they passed me, and Alan said:”She has been a little bit behind the colts in terms of fitness, but she did well through the winter and, while I have not yet committed her to Newmarket, we might well have a look at one of the classic trials.”

Owners Lynne Maclennon and John Murray must be excited that the Flat season is now only 10 days away, Deedaydiva, a 65,000gns purchase at Tattersalls Guineas Sale last May, having shown clear signs of above-average ability in two races in her first season.

Deedaydiva started at 33-1 on her debut in a fillies maiden at Newmarket in August, showing oodles of promise to finish third to Zanthos, who went on to win the G2 Rockfel Stakes back at Headquarters the following month.

Not too many of Alan’s horses enjoy soft ground, hut Deedaydiva looked to relish it when winning a £40,000 maiden at Sandown next time, and the form received a handsome boost when runner-up Esna beat a subsequent winner of William Haggas’s on a return to the Esker slopes.

Esna then took on the glamour gals and finished an excellent fourth behind Aidan O’Brien’s highly-rated filly Diamond Necklace in the G1 Prix Marcel Boussac at Longchamp’s Arc meeting, so whether or not Deedaydiva makes the Guineas, connections are entitled to be looking ahead with plenty of optimism.

Reflecting on last season, Alan added:”Deedaydiva learned a lot from her first run and she is a straight-forward filly with a great mind. She is always relaxed at home, and I don’t think I’ve ever had a two-year-old filly with as much talent, but now she needs to do it in a higher grade.”

Arguably, even more exciting is Alan’s first ever Derby entry Spyce, who, having broken his maiden at Yarmouth, was then a three lengths fourth behind ante-post Derby favourite Pierre Bonnard in the G3 Zetland Stakes at Newmarket.

Spyce has shown a real gear-change in the mornings at Barbury, so connections were only hopeful that he would have the stamina for that 10-furlong Zetland. He seemed to get the trip well enough, but it remains to be seen whether he’ll cope with another quarter-mile should he be aimed at Epsom, though there are encouraging signs on the dam’s side of the pedigree.

Reverting to next month’s Grand National meeting, Alan tells me that Baron Noir, who fulfilled the stable’s high hopes when finishing fourth in a hot renewal of the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival, could well go to both Aintree and Punchestown, as may the 2024 Scottish Champion Hurdle winner Favour And Fortune.

The plan is to keep Favour And Fortune over hurdles this season – he made a pleasing comeback after 10 months off at Kempton in February – but Alan might well look towards fences in May. He explained:”We were going to go novice chasing last season, but Favour And Fortune had a little setback and we ran out of time. He could well go on to Punchestown if he runs well at Aintree, and we can look at fences after that,”

Alan is delighted how well his bumper horses have been running this winter, and Irish point-to-point winner Emiko, bought for £75,000 at Cheltenham Sales last November by former champion jockey Richard Johnson for his racing syndicate, makes her debut for us in the mares bumper at Hexham tomorrow. She, too, cane up the climb today with real zest.