Jevington trainer Mark Flower will be exploiting the record number of fixtures at Lingfield Park this winter.

Flower will lay out ten of his horses for the campaign with a total of 43 days racing from November to March on the venue's polytrack.

He said: "We are lucky that Britain's premier all-weather track is only one hour's drive in a horsebox.

"That has to be an advantage compared with stables in the Midlands and north of England and this has attracted new owners for us who prefer to have their horses based close to the course."

Flower's downland gallops have been on the firm side for the past six months and he has not been slow to use Lingfield for training purposes in the mornings.

He said: "I have used the polytrack on several occasions for working horses.

"We kill two birds with one stone because the horses have the experience of the track as well as getting to peak fitness which I can't achieve at home at present."

Mark Flowers' Sussex Racing Club Syndicate is looking forward to its first runners despite being frustrated by the firm ground during the summer.

Flower hopes Unholy Alliance will run on turf before the season is over, but the two-year-old will certainly be seen at Lingfield during the winter, having worked well for jockey Michael Fenton on the track a few days ago.

Sussex Style has always been Flower's first choice of the three syndicate horses and, having recovered from a period of shin soreness, he should be in full work by mid-October.

Flower said: "The third syndicate horse is, as yet, un-named and the choice of name is up to the members.

"We have three or four shares still available, so anyone joining now can put forward suggestions for his name."

The Sussex Racing Club is an operation in which purchase of each share covers all training and racing expenses for a 12-month period with nothing more to pay. Details from mark by email:mark@markflowerracing.com.

Friendly Alliance, the seven-year-old Shareef Dancer gelding who has been a flag-bearer for Flower's Devonshire House Stables for several years, has been retired.

The trainer said: "We ran him in the Queen Alexandra Stakes at Royal Ascot and, although he had no serious chance of winning, it gave his owners a lot of pleasure to have a runner at the Royal meeting."

Friendly Alliance was prone to leg problems, but ran in more than 30 races, winning several.

Although he failed to score last season, he earned place money on six occasions.

Flower said: "We found a good home for his retirement and he will make a lovely horse, being relatively young, to hack about and enjoy the easy life."

He will pay his annual visit to Goff's yearling sales in Ireland on October 13-14.

He said: "The value is there if you're thinking in terms of sterling compared with euros.

"Anyone who buys at these sales has their airfare refunded by the Irish Tourist Board.

"It is an enlightened attitude taken by the Irish authorities and sadly lacking in England."

Flower has several orders to fill but is keen to encourage anyone who is interested to join him on the trip, which is not expensive anyway, to the Emerald Isle.

Meanwhile, Serena Flower, the four-year-old daughter of Mark and Alyson, won five rosettes on her Shetland pony Silvester at the Sussex Shetland Show at Berwick.

One was for best pony in an event with entries from across the south of England.