Fast-Starter Alutiq forst of many
Alutiq, trained by Eve Johnson-Houghton, heads a field of six for the £19,000 Winners Are Welcome At Betdaq Conditions Stakes over six furlongs on Polytrack. If successful the three-year-old daughter of Kodiac would be guaranteed a place at the All-Weather Championships Finals Day on Good Friday.
A winner at Kempton Park when making her racing debut in April last year, Alutiq subsequently captured a five-furlong conditions contest at Newbury the following month and went on to perform respectably at Group Two level, finishing seventh in the Queen Mary Stakes at Royal Ascot and a close fifth in the Lowther Stakes at York in August.
She was also a luckless fourth in the Listed Dick Poole Fillies' Stakes at Salisbury and was not beaten far in the Group One Cheveley Park Stakes at Newmarket in September.
Johnson Houghton reported: "Alutiq seems very well and everything has been fine with her.
"Obviously, the weather has been bad so I haven't been able to do that much work with her, but she doesn't need much work. She will come on for the run, but is in good form.
"I thought she was a bit unlucky not to get some black type last season, particularly at Salisbury, but she was progressive and definitely has ability. She has grown and done well over the winter and I'm hopeful she has the scope to go on this year."
Jamie Spencer takes the ride on Alutiq, whose five rivals include impressive maiden winners Captain Myles (trained by Tim Pitt) and Golden Amber, who will be making her British debut for Dean Ivory having previously been trained in Ireland, as well as hat-trick seeking Oriental Relation (James Given), who has landed his last two starts over five furlongs at Wolverhampton and Southwell.
Ticking Katie (Karl Burke) and Scruffy Tramp (Alan Bailey) complete the line-up.
The winner will be a guaranteed a free start in the £150,000 32Red.com Three-Year-Old Championship over seven furlongs at Lingfield Park on £1-million All-Weather Championships Finals Day. However, beaten horses can still qualify by running in at least three all-weather races before April 12.