Desert Cop and Zoulu Chief headline a highly competitive Sprint Series Qualifier at Windsor, while Southwell and Wolverhampton also feature across a busy afternoon of racing. The action kicks off at 1:30 PM with jumps from Southwell and all-weather racing at Wolverhampton.
Windsor opens its season with a strong card, highlighted by the Sprint Series Qualifier (0-90) at 6:17 PM. The winner takes home £10,468, and top-rated Desert Cop leads the field for George Baker. However, the gelding has not won since March last year, when he claimed a local Grade One in Bahrain, and struggled on his return to British soil at Nottingham. More improvement is needed.
Zoulu Chief, with four wins from 23 starts, drops in class after a disappointing run at Leicester but retains potential connections to Completely Random at Lingfield. Meanwhile, Badri has fallen to his lowest mark since August 2022 and could be a danger if finding form at this handicap level.
At 5:17 PM Southwell, Louis Veron returns for champion trainer Dan Skelton on only his second start. The gelding impressed on debut for Coral Gold Cup-winning owner Bryan Drew, and Skelton has reported strong home work. Given the boosted form of his first race, Louis Veron appears a promising contender. Rivals include King’s Scholar, Sense Of Reason, White Riot, and Fervent, who is making his National Hunt debut.
Closing the card at 9:00 PM Wolverhampton, Lady Milton seeks a fourth consecutive victory in the Free Race Replays On attheraces.com Fillies’ Handicap for trainer Jonathan Portman. After a slow start, she broke her maiden at Kempton in October off a mark of 56, then followed up on Halloween and again after a winter break at Lingfield, impressively handling the extended mile and a quarter. The handicapper has raised her six pounds, but her progressive nature suggests she may overcome the rise. Eastern Veil, a lighty-raced winner at Wolverhampton in October, could threaten under Oisin Murphy, while Searchingtheblues, Squiffy, Kilkenny Warrior, and Silky Lass add depth.
