The Midnite All-Weather Easter Classic Middle Distance Handicap, a Class 2 race at Newcastle on Friday, features a field of 16 runners, including Regal Ulixes and Gaucher. This event carries a significant prize fund, with the winner set to receive £77,310.00. The race is scheduled for 4.10 PM.
Other notable contests on the Newcastle card include the Midnite All-Weather Sprint Handicap and the Midnite All-Weather Easter Plate Marathon Handicap, which will see top stayers Duke Of Oxford and Beylerbeyi compete.
Regal Ulixes, a four-year-old chestnut gelding trained by A M Balding, has shown recent form. The horse previously won a handicap at Lingfield in February after a reappearance where it was "too free." It has also recorded a sixth-place finish at Wolverhampton. Its race record indicates past victories at Doncaster and Newbury.
Key Contenders and Race Conditions
The Easter Classic Middle Distance Handicap is a £150,000 guaranteed race for horses aged four and older, requiring them to have made at least three starts on all-weather surfaces between late October 2025 and late March 2026. Penalties apply for wins after March 21st, with a weight increase for horses rated above 110.
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While Sir Les Patterson is mentioned as being "popular to defy rise" in the Sprint Handicap, its Handicap Mark is noted as 107. Gaucher's Handicap Mark is listed as 106. The weights for the Easter Classic itself indicate a highest weight of 9st 12lb.
Racing Schedule and Broadcast
The racing action is set to be broadcast on Sky Sports Racing. Multiple races are scheduled throughout the day at Newcastle, including a marathon handicap and a sprint handicap. International racing is also scheduled from Chelmsford City, Curragh, Marseille-Borely, Saint-Cloud, and Greyville.
Background Information
Regal Ulixes is by Ulysses (IRE) out of Regal Realm, bred in the UK.
Trainer A M Balding has a recent strike rate of 23.33% in the last 14 days, with jockey Oisin Murphy boasting a 28.57% success rate in the same period.
The race conditions specify the minimum weights and penalty values for the top six finishers in several races, including the Easter Classic and the Sprint Handicap.
Racecards and schedules for live horse racing on TV are available through various outlets, with ITV Racing offering free-to-air coverage of major events.
