It’s not time to Desert Snow at Lingfield

Desert Snow seems the safest bet at Lingfield. Picture: Getty

A decent line-up has been assembled as the winter season starts to hot up and, while Saeed bin Suroor’s four-year-old meets a couple of her rivals on the wrong terms, her form stands up to scrutiny.

Her record on the all-weather is very impressive – three wins from four starts – and it reads even better as her only defeat came to The Corsican.

Since winning at Kempton last November, she has been lightly raced. Desert Snow was a close-up third in the Aphrodite Stakes at Newmarket in July, but was disappointing on soft ground in the Galtres Stakes at York.

Last time out in Listed company, again at Newmarket, she was no match for John Gosden’s Journey but beat the rest easily enough.

Given Journey was only just reeled in by St Leger winner Simple Verse on Champions Day, that form now looks much stronger than it did at the time.

The fourth, Melodius, was slightly unlucky when second in the St Simon Stakes on Saturday

The return to an artificial surface is a massive plus and Godolphin seem to make hay at this time of year.

Another plus is the slight step up in trip as this time last year she was winning over two miles.

Stablemate Hold Tight had little trouble in seeing off a rival rated 80 on his debut so a mark of 86 may underestimate him in the Ladbrokes Handicap. He could be a good deal better than the rest.

TIPS

CHELMSFORD

4.40 Approcaillis

5.10 Gale Song

5.40 Cornelious

6.10 Jammy Guest

6.40 Belvoir Diva

7.10 Kingston Sassafras

7.40 Lettuce Snow

LINGFIELD

12.50 Intermittent

1.20 Vaunting

1.50 Mr Pickwick

2.20 Desert Snow (nap)

2.50 Hold Tight

3.20 Pack Together

3.50 Race Day

4.20 Hawk Moth

SEDGEFIELD

1.00 Light The City

1.30 Morning With Ivan

2.00 Western Breeze

2.30 Iora Glas

3.00 Woodford County

3.30 The Society Man

4.00 Gunner Lindley

STRATFORD

1.40 What A Good Night

2.10 Knight’s Parade

2.40 Sea Wall

3.10 Hawkhurst

3.40 Al Alfa

4.10 Charbel

DOUBLE

Desert Snow

2.20 Lingfield

Pack Together

3.20 Lingfield