William Haggas is set to run both Saber Strike and Valiancy this weekend.
The pair were in action at Royal Ascot last week, with the former losing his unbeaten record when sixth in a muddling Jersey Stakes. He looks bound for York where he’s among 11 entries for the Al Basti Equiworld Dubai Criterion Stakes.
The trainer told Wednesday’s Nick Luck Daily Podcast: “I was a little disappointed with him at Ascot. He was very sleepy beforehand and looked like he went through the motions to me. He never really picked up like we know he can. My first reaction was ‘right sunshine, you’re going to get racing now’.
“He’s had no racing, so we put him in the Criterion and there aren’t many seven-furlong options for him. There’s a seven furlong Listed race at Chester but that doesn’t appeal to me at all, so I put him in at York and he seems absolutely fine.
“We’ll take a blood test this afternoon, check there’s nothing wrong with him, and I suspect he’ll run because I think he needs to.”
And Haggas is keen to learn more about the colt at York.
“I don’t know what it was really at Ascot but we have to get the horse’s career back on track. He’s talented and going round a half-bend will suit him, they’ll race a bit tighter and he can get in amongst them. Obviously Never So Brave is in the race who is a Group One winner over that course-and-distance so it will be very interesting for him if he takes part.”
Valiancy is towards the head of the market for the JenningsBet Northumberland Plate having finished a never-nearer sixth in last week’s Copper Horse Handicap.
He’s an intended runner with cheekpieces going back on.
“The first time at Hamilton he raced very generously and in the Copper Horse he did what he did last year and James (Doyle) came in and said he needs the headgear back on which we used to have on him. He wants two miles and was staying on all the way up the straight but was never in the race, he was off the bridle all the way down the back," the trainer said.
“He seems absolutely fine, they’ve both put their weight back on quickly and again with some cheekpieces on, I don’t see what we have to lose. The plan is very much to go, but he’s crafty and we had a wide draw and it’s quite a short run to the bend at Ascot and he missed it a bit, was a bit sluggish and never in it.
“But he did stay on pretty well up the straight albeit when the others were running out of puff.”
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