Tony McFadden of Timeform highlights three key things to note for Saturday’s racing.
Haggas has excellent record in Haydock handicap
The mile-and-three-quarter handicap (14:05) for three-year-olds at Haydock is often a strong race featuring some progressive and unexposed sorts, so it’s notable that William Haggas has compiled such a good recent record.
Haggas has won three of the past four editions and has an interesting representative this time around in handicap debutant Dramatic Star.
Dramatic Star didn’t look the most straightforward when getting off the mark at Hamilton last month on his third start, though he was ultimately well on top at the line and that performance continued his theme of run-by-run progress on Timeform’s figures.
It’s unlikely we’ve seen the best of Dramatic Star after only three starts and his pedigree certainly offers hope that he’s capable of better as he’s by Sea The Stars and out of Dramatic Queen who finished runner-up in the Lancashire Oaks on this card five years ago.
Dramatic Star is stepping up three furlongs in trip here so this represents a markedly different test from the ones he’s been faced with so far, but Haggas’ record in this contest shows he’s certainly a fine judge of what sort of horse is required here.
Rising star Bethell handed better raw materials
Ed Bethell has made a highly promising start to his training career since taking over the licence from his father, James, in 2021 and last year he made the Group 1 breakthrough with Regional in the Sprint Cup.
The big-race success has continued for Bethell who enjoyed a first Royal Ascot winner when Mickley won the Britannia Stakes last month, while Regional himself was only beaten a length into second in the King Charles III Stakes earlier at the meeting.
Bethell’s burgeoning reputation has understandably resulted in a higher calibre of horse being sent to his North Yorkshire yard and he introduces a superbly bred colt at Beverley on Saturday.
Divine Legacy, who starts out in the seven-furlong novice (13:40), is by Siyouni and out of Italian Group 1 winner God Given who is a half-sister to the top-class Postponed. Divine Legacy is the third foal out of God Given who has already produced an American Grade 2 winner in Silver Knott (who was also runner-up in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf), so he stands out on pedigree on debut.
A Nottingham novice for the notebooks
It’s not uncommon to see a talented two-year-old starting out at Nottingham; indeed, Leovanni made a winning debut at the track last month before going on to win the Queen Mary Stakes at Royal Ascot. However, it’s rare for a novice to have as much depth as the five-furlong affair (18:10) on Saturday which features three juveniles who earned the Timeform Horse In Focus Flag after shaping with plenty of promise on their latest outing.
Mr Lightside, Cracking Man and Rogue Bullet all impressed Timeform’s reporter sufficiently to be awarded Horse In Focus status, marking them out as ones likely to be of interest next time. Rogue Bullet, who ultimately faded into fifth on debut at Lingfield, was also handed the sparingly used Large P symbol which denotes a horse is likely to make significant improvement.
Of course, it wasn’t envisaged that the trio would be in such a competitive event which also features a £350,000 purchase in Artagnan plus representatives from leading Newmarket trainers Charlie Appleby (Hallasan) and William Haggas (Art Design).
Richard Fahey’s Yes I’m Mali – whose sire Sands of Mali got off the mark at Nottingham, incidentally – is another to consider after his winning debut at Wetherby last month, so this appeals as a race that will take plenty of winning and should provide strong form to follow.
Timeform Tip of the Day
Golden Myrrh – 15:25 Beverley
Flags: Horse In Focus, Hot Trainer, Top-Rated
Golden Myrrh failed to meet expectations when sent off favourite on her handicap debut at Nottingham in May but she showed much improved form to get off the mark at Wolverhampton last month and then barely needed to come off the bridle to follow up at Doncaster last week. Golden Myrrh really impressed with how she moved through that race and she scored with a lot more in hand than the three-quarter-length margin might imply, so she still looks fairly treated following a 6 lb rise in the weights, particularly as this daughter of Frankel, who cost 200,000 guineas as a yearling, could still have more to offer. The good form of trainer Ralph Beckett is also in her favour.
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