Onesmoothoperator is the headline act at Wolverhampton on Boxing Day as he lines up in the Free Bets With BetUK Bet Club Handicap over 12 furlongs.
Brian Ellison’s stable star returns to the track after a spell in Australia, where he captured the Gr3 Geelong Cup and finished 12th in the Gr1 Melbourne Cup.
An in-form Onesmoothoperator returns from a break on Boxing Day (Pic – AWC)
The all-weather has proved a happy hunting ground for Onesmoothoperator, with the six-year-old capturing the rearranged 2023 November Handicap and this year’s Northumberland Plate at Newcastle.
Ellison said: “We gave Onesmoothoperator a little break after he got back from Australia and he seems in good form.
“He is going to Dubai in the New Year, so we felt it made sense to give him a prep run here. Then that way I do not have to do much with him.
“There are races for him in Dubai in January and February and, if all goes well, he will stay out there for Dubai World Cup Night.
“He has had a great year, winning the Plate and the Geelong Cup, and hopefully he can keep it up.”
Connections of Intinso are eyeing a tilt at the Gr3 BetUK Winter Derby, having acquired the 96-rated son of Siyouni from the horses-in-training sale in October.
Formerly with John & Thady Gosden, Intinso won a Wolverhampton handicap impressively in March before finishing third in valuable handicaps at Kempton Park and Newmarket.
Trainer Craig Lidster said: “Intinso is a lovely horse who looks like he has plenty of potential. We took him away to Malton for a gallop the other day and he performed really well, so we are looking forward to running him.
“Although he has won at the track, he does not strike me as a Wolverhampton sort of horse. He is a nice, scopey type and has come to hand pretty quickly. We felt it was worth getting him out and seeing how we go.
“The intention after this is to go to Southwell in January for the Winter Derby Trial. That will tell us whether we go down the Winter Derby route itself or go for a nice handicap on the same day at Southwell.”
Gr3 victor Claymore has made two Newcastle appearances so far this winter for Jane Chapple-Hyam, most recently finishing third in a 10-furlong handicap won by Savvy Victory.
The Mark Loughnane-trained Haku has won five of his six starts over Wolverhampton’s 12-furlong course, with his only defeat coming behind Intinso in March.
Alan King’s Paradias, a handicap winner at Glorious Goodwood during the summer, and Ian Williams’ Dream Harder complete the field.
Wolverhampton’s nine-race programme includes class three action, with Craig Lidster represented by Almarada Prince in the BetMGM: It’s Showtime Handicap over seven furlongs.
A dual winner on the all-weather, the three-year-old steps up in trip after landing a five-furlong handicap at the track earlier this month.
Lidster said: “Almarada Prince is drawn out in the car park in stall 12, although he likes to be dropped in, so we will take our time.
“We are trying him over seven furlongs again as it was soft ground on his only previous attempt and we did not learn anything. It is a distance we feel could suit him.”
The opposition includes George Boughey’s Brasil Power and the James Owen-trained Hat Toss, who were both narrowly denied on their latest starts.
King’s Code (David Evans), a comfortable winner at the track last time out, faces six rivals in the Gamble Responsibly At BetUK Handicap over an extended nine furlongs.
