Adam Nicol aiming high as Wise Eagle enters Championships reckoning

Thursday: Newcastle

Adam Nicol has his sights set on All-Weather Championships finals day with Wise Eagle after the five-year-old scored for the eighth time in the 1m4½f handicap.

Wise Eagle, who provided the Northumberland trainer with his first winner at the track last year, enjoyed an outstanding 2021, winning six times and only once finishing outside the first two.

"He was my first winner and I thought, 'Good, it's a monkey off my back' and then he won again and I said to the lads [in the Seahouses Syndicate] that we'd got lucky. He kept winning and I can't believe what he's achieved," said Nicol.

"The lads are builders from Seahouses and, for a lot of them, he's their first horse. He's won them close to £50,000 since we got him and they paid 7,000gns for him."

The trainer added: "He's twice won over course and distance on the all-weather, and it's 40 minutes down the road so we have to give it a go if we can qualify."

Balding double

Teumessias Fox recorded the opening leg of a double for Andrew Balding and David Probert in the 1m2f novice stakes. The pair then doubled up with Nate The Great, who scored in the 2m5½f handicap, beating Onesmoothoperator by a short head.

Bouncing back

Pride Of America returned from a 477-day layoff to win the 1m2f handicap on his stable debut for Amy Murphy.

Results, replays and analysis

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