Baywing ready to defend Eider crown in spite of drying ground

Baywing is on course to defend his Eider Chase crown at Newcastle this Saturday, despite the likelihood of the ground not being ideal for him.

The ten-year-old was a four-length winner of the 4m½f handicap chase last season, when only six of the 17 runners finished after heavy ground made this sternest of stamina tests even more gruelling than usual.

With the weather in the north-east set to remain mainly dry, trainer Nicky Richards is all too aware that Baywing, who is as short as 8-1 in the market, will have to overcome different conditions this year in the Vertem-sponsored £80,000 feature.

"It's certainly not going to be bottomless like last season," he said. "It'll be closer to soft or even good to soft I'd imagine, even though they're due a drop of rain on Wednesday – we want a lot of it.

"I'm certainly hoping to still run him, it's been the plan for a while. He's in grand shape and as long as the ground is safe I'll run him."

Another trainer who will be doing a rain dance this week is Henry Daly, who is hoping conditions come right for Back To The Thatch. The seven-year-old has been installed as second favourite in most places behind the Sue Smith-trained Sharp Response.

Back To The Thatch (right) tries to keep tabs with Chef D'Oeuvre at HaydockCredit: John Grossick (racingpost.com/photos)

Back To The Thatch was going well in the race last season before falling at the 16th and has been in good form so far this term, as illustrated by his career-best effort in The Last Fling Handicap Chase at Haydock in December.

"We know we want soft ground," said Daly. "I think we can go on good to soft, I don't think that would be a problem, but the softer the better. I'll have a chat with the owner and we'll make a decision about running."

Daly added: "The problem this season is that if you have a soft or heavy ground horse then you've been on the back foot. The ground is why we didn't run him at Haydock last week."

Read The Briefing from 8.30am daily on racingpost.com and the Racing Post mobile app with all the day's latest going, weather, market moves and non-runner news