There are a few things for odds-on gamblers to worry about as Battaash (4.00) returns to the track in Saturday’s Temple Stakes at Haydock. Personally, if I’m going to back something at 8-11 or similar, I prefer to know that this race is the big day.
No such comfort is available because the Haydock contest is a reappearance run, intended to get the freshness out of this zippy sort before Royal Ascot. He is giving weight to all his rivals and is partnered by the owner’s second jockey because the No 1 has gone to Ireland for the day. All the same the credentials of this Prix de l’Abbaye winner are hard to fault. He is easily the most likely winner and I would rather be with him than against him, even at such short odds.
1.55 Goodwood Second time out has been the right time to catch First Sitting in his three seasons since coming over from Ireland and it may be the same story after his reappearance sixth in the Gordon Richards Stakes. Chris Wall’s veteran bounced back from a similar effort in the same prep race to take this prize last year by a nose from Spark Plug. The pair look well placed to fight out the finish again.
2.15 Haydock The run was surely needed when The Grand Visir dropped out in the closing stages at Newmarket three weeks ago. Better is expected for this step up in trip, with the cheekpieces he wore for most of last season now refitted.
2.30 Goodwood William Haggas’s Society Power, having won his last four by a sum of about two lengths, has been hard for the handicapper to wrestle into submission. The three-year-old is up another 6lb for his Ascot win last time but looked as if he had more to give that day. Stall two is a good draw as long as connections do not insist on holding him up, at the back as they did in a smaller field on a straight course last time.
2.50 Haydock Having won the Silver Bowl twice in the past five years, Mark Johnston has another live chance with Ventura Knight. The winner of three in a row last summer, he battled well to score at Doncaster last weekend and should be competitive again. The back-to-form champion jockey, Silvestre de Sousa, takes the ride.
3.05 York Lightly raced since 2016, when coming within a neck of winning a Group Two, Do Re Mi Fa Sol has joined Francis Graffard for this season and improved on her first run when second in a Listed race at Longchamp. She is up to winning this if at her best and may be underestimated in the betting, as French raiders sometimes are here.
3.25 Haydock A line is easily put through the only moderate runs on the résumé of Sands Of Mali, since they came in the Middle Park and at the Breeders’ Cup at the end of last year. He won a French Group Three on his reappearance last month and is easily up to scoring in this class, having landed the Gimcrack last year.
3.40 York Having come up short by less than a length in a similar race here nine days ago, Carlton Frankie could be worth another chance. Her best form last year was in her first couple of runs.
4.10 Curragh To be shown in Britain on At The Races, this Irish 2,000 Guineas has a British-trained favourite in Elarqam, despite there having been only one British winner in the past seven runnings. Elarqam would need to settle a lot better than he did in the Newmarket version and a better bet may be the 3-1 about U S Navy Flag. Last year’s Dewhurst Stakes winner has excuses for his two defeats this year and things should work out better for him here on the drying ground.
Cartmel 2.05 Sammamish 2.40 Captain Brown 3.15 Pretty Miss Mahler 3.50 Jeannot De Nonant 4.25 Bocasien Desbois 5.00 River Icon 5.35 Sweet Holly
Chester 1.45 Wind Storm 2.20 Seen The Lyte 2.55 Baraweez 3.30 Humble Hero 4.05 Vange 4.40 Desert Ruler 5.15 Stonific
Ffos Las 6.05 Let’s Sway 6.35 Action Replay 7.05 Fact Flow 7.35 General Allenby 8.05 Litterale Ci 8.35 Anndarrow 9.05 Lomachenko
Goodwood 1.55 First Sitting 2.30 Society Power 3.10 Natalie’s Joy 3.45 Mirage Dancer 4.20 Top Tug 4.55 Rio Ronaldo 5.30 Beauty Filly
Haydock 2.15 The Grand Visir 2.50 Ventura Knight (nb) 3.25 Sands Of Mali 4.00 Battaash 4.35 Different League (nap) 5.10 Lexington Times 5.45 Baileys Excelerate 6.15 Teodoro
Salisbury 5.50 Well Done Fox 6.20 Harrison Stickle 6.50 Praxedis 7.20 Monjeni 7.50 Master Grey 8.20 Comrade In Arms
York 2.00 Salateen 2.35 Zack Mayo 3.05 Do Re Mi Fa Sol 3.40 Carlton Frankie 4.15 Pacino 4.50 Desert Diamond 5.25 Mon Beau Visage
