Haydock Saturday preview: What the trainers say

1.15 Sky Bet Achilles Stakes

Regional will bid for the first Listed win of his career when he lines up in the Sky Bet Achilles Stakes. Ed Bethell’s five-year-old has been an ultra-consistent performer in the handicap ranks for the Middleham-based handler and produced arguably a career best on his seasonal return, making all to claim a competitive York heat in fine style.

He showed plenty of pace when dropping back to the minimum distance on the Knavesmire and connections believe he can now repeat the dose in Merseyside.

“He looked pretty quick at York last time and was pretty exciting then and I’m hoping we might be able to emulate that on a similar track in Haydock,” said Bethell. “I’m hopeful that the forecast thunderstorms don’t hit before 1.15pm because he likes rattling fast ground. He is in great nick at home and I would be hopeful for a good run.”

It will be the first time Regional has competed in Pattern company since his juvenile days, but he was given a career-high rating of 105 following his York triumph and his handler is excited to see if he can continue climbing the sprinting ladder.

Bethell continued: “He’s always promised that (to be a stakes-level performer) and if you go back to his two-year-old form, he was only beaten a one and a half lengths by Winter Power so on the basis of that form he should be bang there in these types of races. I’m looking forward to seeing how he gets on, he’s a bit of a stable legend so fingers crossed.”

It was Karl Burke’s Korker who played second fiddle to Regional at York and the Spigot Lodge handler is hoping the four-year-old can make a snappy exit from the stalls in order to make his presence felt.

He said: “He makes his own problems messing around in the stalls, unfortunately. We’ve done a bit of work with him and if he jumps off anywhere near them he should run well. He’s got a lot of ability, but you can’t give three, four, five lengths away in these tough races. He the maker of his own downfall I’m afraid, but he doesn’t have a lot to find on ratings and I don’t think we’ve seen the best of him yet.”

Mick Appleby’s Raasel claimed this prize 12 months ago but was disappointing in the Temple Stakes over course and distance most recently – a race in which Charlie Hills’ Equilateral showed there was plenty of life in his eight-year-old legs when second to Dramatised.

“Equilateral is one of the yard favourites and I was delighted with his run at Haydock last time,” said Hills. “It was a hot race although it did look to favour those drawn near the stands side rail. However, he seems to have come out of that race really well and we are going to give it another go up there.

“Frankie (Dettori) rode him last time and he has won on him before out in Dubai so he knows the horse well enough. He doesn’t like the ground too soft and looking at it the ground at the weekend should be perfect for him.”

Keith Dalgleish’s Prince Of Pillo produced some fine efforts over this trip as a two-year-old and is one of two for Middleham Park Racing in the contest alongside Robert Cowell’s Clarendon House, who makes a quick return to the track following his third in the Dash at Epsom last weekend.

Clarendon House is joined by stablemate Arecibo, with Mondammej (Anthony Britain), Fine Wine (Scott Dixon) and Makarova (Ed Walker) the others heading to post.

3.00 Sky Bet Lester Piggott Stakes

Mimikyu bids to open her account for the season in the Sky Bet Lester Piggott Stakes.

The daughter of Dubawi saw off the reopposing Time Lock to land a novice event over this course and distance 12 months ago and went on to win a Newmarket handicap and the Group Two Park Hill Stakes at Doncaster before the end of her three-year-old campaign.

She was narrowly beaten by River Of Stars in the Bronte Cup at York a fortnight ago and joint-trainer Thady Gosden is expecting her to take a step forward in a race his father John and owner George Strawbridge won in 2016 with Mimikyu’s sister and subsequent Group One heroine Journey.

He said: “She ran a very nice race first time out this year in the Bronte when just denied. She’s come out of that well. She’s obviously dropping back down in trip two furlongs at Haydock and she’s got the hood off, which will help we think. It was fast ground at York last time and she’s won on soft, so she’s not ground dependent, and Haydock is a nice, even track for her.”

Following her neck defeat to Mimikyu at Haydock in June last year, Time Lock went on to push fellow Juddmonte-owned filly Haskoy close in the Galtres Stakes at York.

The winner went on to go close in the St Leger and won a Group Three on her recent reappearance, while Time Lock again finished second on her comeback in a Listed race at Goodwood.

Juddmonte’s racing manager Barry Mahon is hoping for a sound surface on Merseyside to give Time Lock the best chance of running up to her best.

He said: “Hopefully we get good to firm ground as we want proper summer ground for her, so hopefully there’ll be no over-watering going on. I think she’s going to develop into a good filly this year. She’s a big, scopey filly and hopefully she could develop into a very good filly.”

Roger Varian switches Modaara to the turf following a 13-length victory on the all-weather at Kempton, while German hopes are carried by the Peter Schiergen-trained Nachtrose.

William Haggas won last year’s renewal with Sea La Rosa and would love to follow up in a race now named in honour of his legendary late father-in-law with Sea Silk Road.

Haggas said: “I think it is a great honour that officials at Haydock Park have named the race in memory of Lester. The family are absolutely thrilled. Haydock was the place where Lester had his first winner and rode his last winner so there is no more appropriate venue to have a race run in his memory. It would be lovely if Sea Silk Road could win on Saturday. She is a filly that has not yet won a Group race but she won a Listed race last year and was second in the Ribblesdale at Royal Ascot.

“First time out this year in the Middleton they went too slow for her over that extended mile and a quarter and she didn’t really relax. She has come forwards for that run though and going back to a mile and a half I think will suit her. We are hopeful she will go well.”

The field is completed by Poptronic, who finished third behind the Gosdens’ Free Wind in the Middleton Stakes and trainer Karl Burke feels she may have been underestimated in the market.

“She ran a good, solid race first time up and will improve for stepping up to the mile and a half. I think they’re making her the outsider of the field, but she’ll run a good race, she’s a good filly and she’s in good form,” said the Spigot Lodge handler.

3.35 Sky Bet John Of Gaunt Stakes

Australian challenger The Astrologist gets the opportunity to reassert his Royal Ascot claims in the Sky Bet John of Gaunt Stakes.

Trained in partnership by the father and son team of Leon and Troy Corstens, the six-year-old has been placed at Group One level on multiple occasions in his homeland and was beaten just a head by Danyah in the Al Quoz Sprint on Dubai World Cup night at Meydan in March.

That excellent effort encouraged connections to target the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes at the big meeting and he made his British debut in last month’s 1895 Duke of York Stakes under Ryan Moore.

While on the face of it The Astrologist’s performance in finishing seventh at York was underwhelming, hopes in the camp are high he can bounce back to something like his best on Merseyside.

“We’re very happy with the way he came through York. Obviously, as everyone knows, he needed the run and that is why he is having another run before Ascot,” said assistant trainer Dom Sutton.

“It is a strange one because we were hoping he’d have a little bit more residual fitness from Dubai, but it was a formula we’d never used before – he’d never had eight weeks between a run and obviously he had to deal with the flight and the travel.

“Back in Australia we use barrier trials as stepping stones to getting them to the races and obviously we couldn’t do that here, so we were kind of a little bit in the dark. He handled everything well leading up to York and we were hoping he could run a nice, bold race, but Ryan got off him and said in the last furlong he really needed it.”

With a step up from six to seven furlongs not expected to be an issue on a flat track and fast ground, Sutton is optimistic about his chances of victory, with Moore once again in the saddle.

He added: “He’s been pretty competitive over seven furlongs back home, the ground should suit and he’s ticked every box fitness-wise and gallops-wise in between runs, so hopefully it shouldn’t be a problem. Looking at the field you’d hope that he’ll be going pretty close. If circumstances mean he doesn’t win, as long as he’s hitting the line and running well we’ll be happy.”

A horse going the other way in distance is the Eve Johnson Houghton-trained Jumby, who was last seen finishing down the field over a mile in the Lockinge Stakes at Newbury. The son of New Bay won the Group Two Hungerford Stakes over the intermediate trip last summer and his trainer is confident of a bold showing.

She said: “He’s won a Group Two over seven furlongs and a mile just stretched him in the Lockinge. He likes fast ground and we’ve been very pleased with him since Newbury.”

El Caballo bids to get his season back on track for the in-form Karl Burke team.

The four-year-old won his first four starts of last year, including the Group Two Sandy Lane at Haydock, but disappointed in the Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot and missed the rest of the campaign.

He trailed home last of 10 runners on his reappearance in the Cammidge Trophy on heavy ground at Doncaster and Burke is hoping conditions will be more favourable.

“We don’t want fast ground and I’m just hoping they put a decent amount of water on – they usually do at Haydock,” said the Spigot Lodge handler. “We’ve got to get him started, he’s working really well and if we can’t run here on good, fast ground we’re going to struggle for the rest of the summer. Hopefully he can go and show himself to good effect. We’re stepping up to seven furlongs, he’s won over seven and I think that will help him. This looks a nice race for him to go for and he’s still got the ability, I have no doubt about that.”

Tim Easterby’s Boardman and the Charlie Fellowes-trained Gorak are both course and distance winners but face a step up in class, while Stan Moore’s The Wizard Of Eye, who also contested the Lockinge last month, completes the line-up.

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