'There’s a chance of landing around £150,000 if he wins' - Dear My Friend connections eyeing all-weather finals day

Connections of Dear My Friend say the temptation of a £75,000 bonus is a major factor as to why he is more likely to head to All-Weather Championships finals day at Newcastle than run in the Lincoln Handicap at Doncaster.

Trained by Charlie Johnston, the four-year-old secured his passage to the £150,000 mile handicap on Good Friday after cruising to success in last week’s trial at Lingfield.

Dear My Friend has won all four appearances on the all-weather, including twice at Newcastle, and would qualify for a bonus of £75,000 if successful at the track on March 29.

Middleham Park’s Tim Palin believes he has a better chance of success at Newcastle, and that the prize-money on offer is an added incentive.

He said: "At the moment the Lincoln is on ice and all roads lead to Newcastle on Good Friday. He’ll get a bit of a hike in the weights, so he’ll have to run off a new mark, but he’s won three times this season and he’s pretty potent on the all-weather. For that reason, we’d hope he’d go there with a big chance.

"With the way he operates on the all-weather he probably has a better chance of winning there than in the Lincoln, where he’d go off at around 25-1. We don’t know if soft ground over a mile is him playing at home, but a mile on the Tapeta is definitely him."

Dear My Friend won the Listed Burradon Stakes on this card 12 months ago, and Palin added: "There will probably be 14 runners and he’ll be top weight, giving weight away and playing at home if you like because he’s unbeaten over course and distance. 

"You’d get around £77,000 in prize-money for first place and a £75,000 bonus because he won on Friday, so there’s a chance of landing around £150,000 if he wins."

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