The extended two-mile Tapeta contest sees the return of Mekong (Jamie Osborne/Jamie Spencer), who has been off the track after finishing fifth behind Stradivarius in the G1 Gold Cup at Royal Ascot in June.

This will be Mekong’s first start on the All-Weather since landing a valuable handicap at Chelmsford City in August 2018, as the six-year-old gears up for next month’s $2.5m Long Distance Turf Handicap in Saudi Arabia, in which he was second last year.

Rainbow Dreamer (Alan King/Tom Marquand) landed this Fast-Track Qualifier impressively 12 months ago, the third leg of an impressive four timer notched up during last season’s All-Weather Championships.

The eight-year-old finished third on his first outing this winter in the Fast-Track Qualifier won by Island Brave at Newcastle on December 12, a race that also featured Carnwennan (Charlie Fellows/Stevie Donohoe) in fourth, Mildenberger (Mark Johnston/Joe Fanning) in fifth and Stargazer (Phil Kirby/Paul Mulrennan) in eighth, who all reoppose.

Mildenberger was one of the leading stayers on the All-Weather last season, with his best performance coming in a Fast-Track Qualifier at Chelmsford City in March.

He backed that up with a good second to subsequent Gold Cup runner-up Nayef Road in the rearranged G3 Sagaro Stakes at Newcastle in June.

Charlie Johnston, assistant to his father Mark, said today: “We were a little disappointed with the way Mildenberger ran at Newcastle, as on the ratings he should have gone closer than he did.

“In fairness, it was his first run of the winter campaign following a little break and we think he can improve on that.

“We are building him towards Finals Day [April 2] and hopefully we can get him back in the sort of form that he showed around this time last year.

“Mekong and Rainbow Dreamer are solid rivals on the figures, but Mildenberger’s best form over the last 18 months has come on the All-Weather and a reproduction of that would give him a leading chance.”

Mildenberger winning at Chelmsford City

Outbox (Archie Watson/Hollie Doyle) was a talented performer for Simon Crisford prior to being sold to Hambleton Racing in October.

The lightly raced six-year-old was a close fourth on debut for current connections in a handicap at Kempton Park on January 4, his first run for 494 days.

A deep field also includes Nate The Great (Andrew Balding/Richard Kingscote) and Cosmelli (Gay Kelleway/Tom Eaves), who were second on their latest starts in handicaps at Wolverhampton and Newcastle respectively.

Battle Of Marathon (John Ryan/Tom Queally) also runs.

About the All-Weather Championships

Season eight of the All-Weather Championships runs from Tuesday, October 20, 2020 and culminates with All-Weather Championships Finals Day on Good Friday, April 2, 2021 at Lingfield Park.

The six championship categories are:

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

Fillies & Mares sponsored by Ladbrokes - 7f Final

Mile sponsored by Bombardier - 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 Lingfield Park:

* 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 during the qualifying period between October 20, 2020 and the six-day entry stage for the finals (Saturday, March 28, 2021) 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: https://www.awchampionships.co.uk/take-part/fast-track-qualifier-dates/

Fast-Track Qualifier winners so far:

1 - 3YO, October 20, Newcastle, 6f, SIGNFICANTLY (Karl Burke/Clifford Lee)

2 - F&M, October 29, Lingfield Park, 1m, INDIE ANGEL (John Gosden/Frankie Dettori)

3 - F&M, November 13, Dundalk (IRE), 1m, UMMALNAR (William Haggas/Chris Hayes)

4 - MD, November 14, Lingfield Park, 1m 2f, DUBAI WARRIOR (John Gosden/Robert Havlin)

5 - SPRINT, November 14, Lingfield Park, 6f, GOOD EFFORT (Ismail Mohammed/Ray Dawson)

6 - MILE, November 18, Kempton Park, 1m, KINROSS (Ralph Beckett/Richard Kingscote)

7 - MD, November 25, Deauville (FR), 1m 1½f, SKY POWER (Gael Barbedette/Stephane Pasquier)

8 - 3YO, December 5, Wolverhampton, 6f, VICTORY HEIGHTS (James Tate/PJ McDonald)

9 - MA, December 12, Newcastle, 2m 56y, ISLAND BRAVE (Heather Main/Cieren Fallon)

10 - F&M, January 4, Wolverhampton, 7f, AMNIARIX (Ed Walker/Richard Kingscote)

11 - SPRINT, January 12, Newcastle, 5f, VENTUROUS (David Barron/Tom Marquand)

12 - MILE, January 12, Newcastle, 1m, BLESS HIM (David Simcock/Jamie Spencer)

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

 About ARC: Arena Racing Company (“ARC”) is the largest racecourse operator in the UK. ARC is made up of the following sixteen racecourses: Bath, Brighton, Chepstow, Doncaster, Ffos Las, Fontwell Park, Great Yarmouth, Hereford, Lingfield Park, Newcastle, Royal Windsor, Sedgefield, Southwell, Uttoxeter, Wolverhampton and Worcester. In addition to racecourses ARC owns Newcastle, Nottingham, Sunderland and Perry Barr Greyhound Stadia and looks after the media interests of the Greyhound Media Group (“GMG”). ARC runs four of the six all-weather racecourses in the UK offering three different types of surface for horses to run on: Polytrack at Lingfield Park, fibresand at Southwell Racecourse and tapeta at Newcastle and Wolverhampton Racecourses – the only tapeta racing surfaces in Europe. In 2013 ARC pioneered the All-Weather Championships which see horses compete throughout the winter for the chance of qualifying for a £1 million Finals Day on Good Friday at Lingfield Park. This initiative is helping raise the profile and prestige of all-weather racing in Great Britain. ARC hosts racing at all levels of the sport from Class 7 through to Group 1s. Doncaster Racecourse is home to the world’s oldest Classic, the Pertemps St Leger, run each year in September as part of the four-day St Leger Festival as well as the final Group 1 of the year in Britain, the Vertem Futurity Trophy. Feature jumps races include the Grade 1 Betfair Fighting Fifth Hurdle at Newcastle Racecourse, the Coral Welsh Grand National at Chepstow Racecourse and Midlands Grand National at Uttoxeter Racecourse. As well as racing, ARC also operates a hotel at Wolverhampton Racecourse, a hotel, spa resort and golf course at Lingfield Park and The Border Minstrel public house at Newcastle Racecourse in the grounds of Gosforth Park. The Hilton Garden Inn Doncaster Racecourse opened in September 2018. ARC is a significant shareholder in the horseracing TV channel Sky Sports Racing which is broadcast on the Sky platform to c.14 million homes. ARC plays a pivotal role in British Racing. It is a shareholder in British Champions Series and Racecourse Data Company; a signatory to a British Horseracing Authority’s and Horsemen’s Group Prize Money Agreement; and on the boards of the Racecourse Association (“RCA”), Great British Racing (“GBR”) and British Champion Series (“BCS”). In 2015 ARC set up The Racing Partnership. This limited company represents the media rights of the 16 ARC owned-racecourses and the five independent racecourses Fakenham, Hexham, Newton Abbot, Plumpton and Ripon. Further information about ARC can be found at www.arenaracingcompany.co.uk.