Midnite Winter Derby Stakes
Group 3, Lingfield 14:00
£100,000 guaranteed,
4yo plus,
1m 2f, Class 1   
Saturday 21st February 2026

1 Sky Safari 6/1
2 Chancellor 4/6F
3 Military Academy 33/1
5 ran Distances: nk, ½l, ¾l
Time: 2m 4.15s (slow by 2.95s)

In a race run at little more than canter for much of the way and decided in a matter of strides, the race became a test not simply of class, but of composure. It was Sky Safari who kept hers best intact.

James Fanshawe’s mare, returned at 6-1, was settled towards the rear of the tightly-knit quintet, though “settled” may be generous. She raced with a touch of keenness in the early stages, her enthusiasm evident as Ryan Moore dictated matters aboard Nebras. The pace was steady, almost deceptively so, and the field remained closely grouped as they swept downhill.

Boiling Point tracked the leader with intent and, sensing the tactical drift, Sam James elected to inject momentum fully three furlongs from home. The race lifted in tempo, the field concertinaing as they straightened for the short Lingfield run-in.

At the furlong pole it was difficult to rule any of them out. Nebras, having enjoyed the run of the race, attempted to cling on; Boiling Point’s earlier move began to flatten out; and the heavily-backed Chancellor loomed ominously, his supporters sensing that patience might be rewarded.

But it was Daniel Muscutt who timed his challenge to the fraction. Angled into daylight, Sky Safari lengthened decisively, swooping past rivals with a turn of foot that had been carefully preserved. In a matter of strides she had asserted, denying Chancellor close home and sealing top honours with authority rather than fortune.

For Chancellor, defeat was narrow but not devoid of promise. His market strength suggested confidence and he lost little in going down fighting, shaping as though a similar contest on a more generously run gallop might yet fall his way.

Nebras, having set the fractions, could not quite repel the late wave but emerged with credit for his willing front-running role, while Boiling Point’s bold move three out ultimately left him vulnerable in the final furlong, his early exertions telling at the point of maximum demand.

In a race where margins were slim and tactics paramount, Sky Safari’s victory owed much to restraint — both in the saddle and within herself. Lingfield rewards those who measure their effort, and here the final surge proved decisive.

BoyleSports

Midnite Winter Derby Stakes
£100,000 guaranteed, 4yo plus, 1m 2f, Class 1
5 ran
Going: Standard

POS. DIST HORSE AGE WGT TRAINER JOCKEY SP
1    Sky Safari 5 8-13 James Fanshawe Daniel Muscutt 6/1
2 nk Chancellor 4 9-2 John & Thady Gosden Robert Havlin 4/6F
3 ½ Military Academy 5 9-2 Jane Chapple-Hyam Billy Loughnane 33/1
4 ¾ Boiling Point 5 9-2 K R Burke Sam James 5/1
5 nse Nebras 4 9-2 John & Thady Gosden Ryan Moore 11/2

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