Haydock Saturday

HEAVY rain saw Haydock forced to cancel Sunday’s card, which was due to be televised as part of the Sunday Series on ITV, but while conditions were testing, Saturday’s meeting went ahead, with the feature being the Group 3 Rose of Lancaster Stakes.

Three of the declared runners failed to make the start, but Foxes Tails (Andrew Balding/Silvestre de Sousa) found the mud no trouble as he finished well to beat Fancy Man (Richard Hannon/Pat Dobbs) by three-quarters of a length.

Bridle

The son of Zoffany – a well-backed 11/8 favourite – was off the bridle before his rivals, but he is the sort who needs to be asked a question, and the more de Sousa asked, the more he pulled out to open his account at pattern level.

The runner-up was an eye-catcher in the Chester Vase before flopping at Newmarket, but he got back on track here, and should pick up a good prize in the autumn given how well he copes with soft ground.

The Listed Dick Hern Stakes cut up badly, with only five going to post, and even-money favourite Waliyak (Roger Varian/Jack Mitchell) proving much too strong for her rivals, headed the George Baker-trained Passionova.

THE Group 3 Sweet Solera Stakes saw a competitive, if not vintage field line up on good ground at Newmarket, and the race fell to 5/1 chance Majestic Glory (Andrew Balding/David Probert), who beat race favourite Wild Beauty (Charlie Appleby/Wiliam Buick) by a length.

The winner was stepping up markedly on the form of a six-furlong novice win at the track on her second start. That urges a degree of caution in rating the form, but the daughter of Frankel is bred for stamina, and the longer trip saw her take a big step forward. She will stay a mile this year, and further next, so isn’t taken lightly going up in trip.

This success was another in what has been a stellar summer for both Balding and David Probert.

The former is on course to land his first trainers’ championship as he leads the table by over £300,000 and isn’t short of ammunition for the back-end of the season.

Probert hit his century for the season on Tuesday, and went on to win on all five of his rides at Ffos Las (his family’s local track) on Wednesday, a demonstration that he’s been foolishly neglected by many since sharing the apprentice title with William Buick in 2008.