All-Weather Championships Media Release - Lower Street storms home to win Coral Winter Oaks

Published 2022/01/23

Lower Street storms home to win Coral Winter Oaks Progressive filly Lower Street delivered a power-packed finish to take the inaugural £100,000 Coral Winter Oaks Fillies’ Handicap at Lingfield Park this afternoon, day two of the Winter Million.

The David Simcock-trained four-year-old was making a quick reappearance in the 10-furlong contest following a comfortable victory in a Southwell handicap six days ago, for which she carried a 5lb penalty.

Positioned in last of the 14 runners by Martin Dwyer, Lower Street made the most of a relatively trouble-free passage in the straight to scythe through the field and hit the front inside the final furlong.

The winning distance was a length, with Enfranchise also finishing strongly to take second and Pretty Sweet third.

Simcock said of the 10/1 winner: “As soon as we saw this race, that is why we went to Southwell to get up in the weights to make sure she definitely got in.

“They have gone hard there – really hard – and that is the first time she has had that in a race. She was almost outpaced early doors and the Johnston horse who finished second was next to her, so they have probably gone too quick in front.

“Since the autumn, Lower Street has really progressed. She was far worse off at the weights with some of those horses from the trial at Southwell two starts back and this shows how much she has come forward.

“She is from an old Ballymacoll Stud family that generally improves with age and is doing everything right now. She is by Kingman and has that little bit of spark to her, although a mile and a half is probably her trip on a more conventional track.

“The plan before today was to have a break and then come back for fast ground in the summer. Whether that changes I don’t know, but the likelihood is that she will have a break.”

He added: “This is a great prize and the whole thing [Winter Million] is a really good concept. I wasn’t here yesterday but the crowd today is good with a real friendly atmosphere.”

Dwyer said: “It is quite dramatic the way Lower Street races. She likes to be left alone early and we had a nice pace to run at. She has improved race by race and the trainer has done well, hasn’t he?

“I thought there would be plenty of pace in the race, which I knew would help. When you are riding for a trainer and owners that let you go out and do what she likes to do and understand that when it doesn’t work, it doesn’t work, it allows you to ride with confidence.

“She has a tremendous turn of foot and she showed it to great effect there. She has done nothing but improve and it is a great thrill to come from last to first like that.”

LOWER STREET.jpg

Lower Street wins the Coral Winter Oaks (credit: John Hoy)

Elsewhere on the card, Celtic Art was a rare winner on the Flat for trainer Jeremy Scott in the £50,000 Betway Handicap over 12 furlongs.

Purchased out of Paul & Oliver Cole’s stable in early December, Celtic Art went off the 10/3 favourite after finishing second on debut for Scott in a course and distance handicap on December 31.

Scott said: “After he was second here first time out for us, I thought this race would be a nice target. It is so rare that a plan comes together but thankfully it has.

“I asked Hollie what she would do next. She said he is clearly enjoying the game, so we will have a look at the programme book and see if there is anything suitable in the near future. “He is the type of horse who will go hurdling at some point but it’s a bit too late in Jump season for that now.”

About the All-Weather Championships

Season nine of the All-Weather Championships runs from Tuesday, October 19, 2021, and culminates with All-Weather Championships Finals Day on Good Friday, April 15, 2022. Finals Day will take place at Newcastle for the first time while its previous home Lingfield Park will now stage the All-Weather Vase fixture for horses not rated high enough to run on Finals Day.

The six championship categories are:

Three-Year-Olds sponsored by Coral - 6f Final

Fillies & Mares sponsored by Coral - 7f Final

Mile sponsored by MansionBet - 1m Final

Sprint sponsored by Betway - 6f Final

Marathon sponsored by Betway - 2m Final

Middle Distance sponsored Betway - 10f Final

There are two ways for horses to qualify for one of the finals on All-Weather Championships Finals Day at Newcastle:

* A horse can win a 'Fast-Track Qualifier' race which will ensure a FREE and GUARANTEED place in the corresponding final on Good Friday. There are four Fast-Track Qualifiers in each of the six championship categories hosted at racecourses in Great Britain, Ireland and France. If a filly wins any of the Fast-Track Qualifier races for either the Sprint or the Mile categories, the filly will be qualified for the final of that specific category, or for the Fillies and Mares Final.

or

* A horse must run a minimum of three times on the All-Weather surfaces in Great Britain, Ireland and France; or twice on the All-Weather surfaces in Great Britain, Ireland, France and once on dirt in Dubai or Saudi Arabia during the qualifying period between October 19, 2021 and the six-day entry stage for the finals (Saturday, April 9, 2022) and then be rated high enough to 'make the cut' in a final by order of its BHA Rating.

In addition, prizes will be awarded to each of the All-Weather Champions - the 'All Stars' - based on the number of winners at the end of the All-Weather Championships season:

Champion All-Weather Jockey (winner and runner up)

Champion All-Weather Apprentice Jockey (winner and runner up)

Champion All-Weather Trainer

Champion All-Weather Owner

Winning Most All-Weather Horse

For details of the 24 Fast-Track Qualifiers, please click here.

Fast-Track Qualifier winners so far:

1 - 3YO, October 19, Newcastle, 6f, SPACE COWBOY (Richard Spencer/Hollie Doyle)

2 - F&M, October 28, Lingfield Park, 1m, MAAMORA (Simon & Ed Crisford/James Doyle)

3 - F&M, November 5, Dundalk (IRE), 1m, FRIENDLY (Aidan O’Brien/Wayne Lordan)

4 - SPRINT, November 13, Lingfield Park, 6f, GOOD EFFORT (Ismail Mohammed/Jim Crowley)

5 - MD, November 13, Lingfield Park, 1m 2f, PYLEDRIVER (William Muir & Chris Grassick/Martin Dwyer)

6 - MD, November 23, Deauville (FR), 1m 1½f, INTEGRANT (Henri-Francois Devin/Maxime Guyon)

7 - MILE, November 24, Kempton Park, 1m, MADAME TANTZY (Eve Johnson Houghton/Georgia Dobie)

8 - 3YO, December 4, Wolverhampton, 6f, EL CABALLO (Karl Burke/Clifford Lee)

9 - MA, December 11, Newcastle, 2m, NICHOLAS T (Jim Goldie/Paul Mulrennan)

10 - F&M, January 1, Southwell, ARRIVISTE (Rae Guest/David Probert)

11 - SPRINT, January 2, Newcastle, VENTUROUS (David Barron/Connor Beasley)

12 - MILE, January 2, Newcastle, TEMPUS (Archie Watson/Hollie Doyle)

13 - MD, January 13, Newcastle, AL ZARAQAAN (Archie Watson/Danny Tudhope)

14 - MA, January 17, Wolverhampton, RAINBOW DREAMER (Alan King/Hollie Doyle)

For more information on the All-Weather Championships, please visit: www.awchampionships.co.uk 

Further information about ARC can be found at www.arenaracingcompany.co.uk.