STAR RACING PREVIEW: Haydock Saturday

3.00 Haydock – Lester Piggott Fillies’ Stakes (Group 3) (Formerly Known As The Pinnacle Stakes) 1m4f

The Group 3 Lester Piggott Fillies’ Stakes is a fascinating contest and has more of a handicap betting taste to it than a race of pattern quality as they go 7/1 the field amongst 14 runners. The daughter of Frankel Sapphire Seas has struck on four of her seven starts and rarely puts a foot wrong. There’s some eye catching form from last year on debut, behind Twirling (92) and Star Guest (99), as well as comfortably beating subsequent Listed winner Crack Of Light on her 3rd start.

Appleby elected to winter her in the Middle East which yielded a 2nd placed finish to stablemate English Rose in the Group 2 Balanchine, who then went on to finish a close 2nd in the Grade 1 Keeneland Jenny Wiley Stakes and is declared for Saturday’s Grade 1 New York Stakes.

Buick chose to lead on Sapphire Seas on domestic reappearance in the Group 2 Middleton Stakes at York but once eventual winner Bluestocking came upsides him to strike by 6 lengths, she was certainly looked after to finish 4th. With less than 1/4 length splitting herself from Free Wind and Infinite Cosmos who may well both go on to have productive campaigns, she’s too big at a current price of ? .

3.35 Haydock – Betfred John Of Gaunt Stakes (Group 3) 7f

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Another fascinating betting contest where they go 5/1 the field for a great Group 3 field size of 12, Flight Plan is being overlooked in the market here for the Burke team and was at one stage a double figure price for this race. You can write off his Lockinge run just like you can write off the form of the other 9 that ran in it.

I certainly make the son of Night Of Thunder shorter than Tiber Flow whose run was surely fading to pieces before suffering a devastating fall last time at York, and I’m more than happy to go against the Spring Trophy form over course and distance from which Shartash won, but Pogo & Witch Hunter re-oppose.

A defeat by a neck to Dear My Friend in the Listed Burradon Stakes kicked off his 2023 season which preceded a big swipe at the Guineas (40s) which didn’t work out. However that was followed by a more than credible run at Pontefract in their Listed Pomfret Stakes behind Poker Face, but well on top of the likes of Raadobarg and Saturday’s opponent Witch Hunter. That run alone shouldn’t put him at double the price of Hannon’s gelding, but a two length defeat to subsequent Bahrain International Trophy & Neom Turf winner Spirit Dancer should surely throw him in the mix for this even more.

Flight Plan even got his much-deserved win in Leopardstown’s Dullingham Park at the expense of Buckaroo, who himself was at the forefront of those races against the likes of Anmaat & Homeless Songs. That wonderful 3yo campaign is being taken for granted and you’re being well compensated for one poor effort this season at a current price of ? .

4.45 Haydock – Betfred ‘Join Our Sports Club’ Reverence Handicap (Class 3) 6f

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Lir Speciale was unraced at 2 but came into his own in the twilight of his 3yo campaign taking a Racing League race, which he backed up at 4 by striking off 90 at Kempton – just 1lb lower than Saturday’s mark. This horse has the ability and could win off 5lbs higher tomorrow if forced to.

Two starts back at Chelmsford, David Egan gave Lir the world to overcome held up last rounding the bend, and after a dream passage on the rail, finishing 4th beaten two lengths felt more like win that day compared to those in front of him, in a race where the pace held up supremely well.

Despite that effort over 7f, the son of Prince Of Lir most recently made his stable debut for Stuart Williams over a totally inadequate trip of 5f which resulted in him unsurprisingly being asked for effort early on and absolutely rattling home for 4th under a nothing ride late in the race. A reduction of 1lb for that effort looks incredibly fair and back up to 6f at Haydock on Saturday should be much more to his liking to land what is a decent enough prize for a Class 3 at a current price of ? .

RECOMMENDED BETS
BACK Sapphire Seas to win the 3.00 at Haydock 1pt at 5/1 (⭐ ? CLICK TO BET NOW)
BACK Flight Plan to win the 3.35 at Haydock 1pt at 9/1 (⭐ ? CLICK TO BET NOW)
BACK Lir Speciale to win the 4.45 at Haydock 1pt at 9/1 (⭐ ? CLICK TO BET NOW)