MGHEERA was very weak in the pre-race market when she won the Group 2 William Hill Temple Stakes at Haydock last year, and she has been put in initially at a similar price to last year’s SP in her bid for a repeat victory today.

It’s more difficult to make the case for her this year though. She won a Group 3 race at Longchamp on her debut last season, her first run for Ed Walker, before going to Haydock and winning the Temple Stakes.

She didn’t win again last season and, while she ran well to finish second to Arizona Blaze in the Group 2 Sapphire Stakes at the Curragh on Irish Oaks weekend, her Temple Stakes run was her best run of the year.

While that does augur well for her return to Haydock today, she was well beaten in that same Longchamp race on her debut this season.

Admittedly, that was on softer ground than today’s, and you can be sure that her trainer has had today’s race earmarked as her early-season target for a while, but she is going to have to improve significantly on her Longchamp run if she is going to be involved.

It’s a good race, as befits a Group 2 sprint. Four for four on all-weather, Night Raider kept good company last season, he finished fourth in the Nunthorpe and fifth in the Flying Five, but he didn’t manage to gain his first win on turf until he won the Group 3 Palace House Stakes at Newmarket on his debut this season.

That was his first run since being gelded too and, if he can build on that, if the gelding operation unlocks latent talent, he is a big threat to all.

Top-class sprinter

Asfoora won the Nunthorpe and the Abbaye last year, she is obviously a top-class sprinter, but she was well beaten in the Palace House on her debut this season, and she still has to concede a Group 1 penalty, even if it is reduced in this Group 2 race.

She has to give 2lb to the geldings, instead of receiving 3lb from them. Also, it took her a couple of runs before she found her metier last season.

American Affair should do better here than he did last time in the race that used to be known as the Duke of York Stakes, when he was weak in the market and keen and racing over six furlongs. That said, fifth in this race last year, it may be that he is building up to the King Charles III Stakes again.

Jm Jungle was tempting at the price. He is another who should do better than he did last time, when he finished fourth in the Palace House Stakes. He was weak in the market too before that race, but he ran well for a long way in the near-side group, in a race that was dominated by the far-side runners. He did best of the high-drawn horses.

The Quinns’ horse should improve on that here, and he won a handicap over this course and distance three years ago on one of just two visits to Haydock, but Jakajaro has hit a rich vein of form now, and it could pay to roll with him.

Winner of a five-furlong handicap at Newmarket off a mark of 95 on his debut this season, he stepped up on that last time when he won a better five-furlong handicap at York off a mark of 100.

He raced towards the near side that day from his high draw at a track at which, before that race, there appeared to be a bias towards the far side.

Lots of pace

Subsequent events suggest that that may not have been the case but, even so, he showed lots of pace and he came clear of the admittedly relatively small group of horses that raced down the near side with him.

He won the race by over two lengths in the end, but he came almost four lengths clear of the horse who did next best on the near side.

Only one horse has run from that race since, Redorange, who finished eighth, admittedly an unlucky-in-running eighth, and who came out and won a handicap at Windsor on Monday impressively off the same handicap rating.

The handicapper raised Jakajaro by 8lb for that win, which takes him up to a mark of 108 and onto the coat-tails of the top-rated horses in this race.

Fourth in the Sapphire Stakes in 2024 when he was with David Marnane, he deserves another shot at a Group 2 prize now. He is better over five furlongs than he is over six, goodish ground is ideal for him, his forward-going style of racing is a positive, and he has a nice draw in stall seven, towards the near side.

Silver Bowl

Earlier in the day, St Anton looks over-priced in the William Hill Silver Bowl.

Richard Hannon’s horse didn’t win in three attempts last season as a juvenile, but he shaped encouragingly on his debut this season in a one-mile handicap at Newmarket, his first handicap.

Racing off a mark of 82 on that, his seasonal return, he kept on well towards the near side to take third place behind Darn Hot Gallop and Blue Courvoisier, who both raced towards the far side.

Blue Courvoisier re-opposes today, and he is a danger, but he was beaten last time at Ascot, whereas St Anton took a nice step forward last time when he won another one-mile handicap at Newmarket off the same mark of 82.

The handicapper raised him by 3lb for that win, and this is a better race, but that was not harsh. Also, he has raced just five times and he has the potential to continue his progression now. A strongly-run mile should suit him well, and his draw in stall 14 is actually not really a negative.

Recommended:

St Anton 2.20 Haydock – 1 pt e/w @

16/1 (generally)

Jakajaro 3.30 Haydock – 1 pt win @ 15/2 (generally)