EVERY time it rains, Breton Rock is backed, so it is not surprising that David Simcock’s horse sits proudly at the top of the market for the Group 3 Betway John of Gaunt Stakes at Haydock this afternoon.

Breton Rock is a high-class performer, and he is at his best on soft ground. He has won nine times in his life: five times on good-to-soft ground, once on soft, once on heavy, and just once on good ground. The problem is that everybody is well aware now of his penchant for easy conditions, so the soft ground is factored into his odds.