By Tony Calvin - 19 May 2025
On Monday morning, there were 25 in Haydock’s Group 2 Temple Stakes on Saturday, and we are now down to 14.
The 11 taken out were: Kerdos, Two Stars, Beautiful Diamond, Flora Of Bermuda, Magnum Force, Aesterius, Big Mojo, Tropical Storm, Kind Of Blue, No Half Measures and Star Of Mehmas.
Some of those were hardly surprising as they ran at York last week, though impressive handicap winner (albeit only off a mark of 98) American Affair, 10s here and mentioned on the AKBets’ Monday podcast (check that out here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYtQzWrapP4) , was confirmed.
He is now rated 105 and is a live one in here if taking his chance.
Frost At Dawn has been confirmed for Haydock on Friday so don’t back her.
I imagine the ante-post market would have done the square root of jack shit but it seems it was most surprised by the no-show of favourite Big Mojo, as short as [7/2] in a place.
The trainer seemed to suggest it was straight to Royal Ascot immediately after his reappearance win there in April, but he is entered in the 6f Sandy Lane on the card instead.
Trainer Mick Appleby explained: “We didn’t confirm him for the Temple and entered him for the Sandy Lane.
At this stage, the Commonwealth Cup is the plan at Ascot, so it made sense to have another run over six. We may as well keep him against the three-year-olds.”
I was very surprised to see the Temple Stakes (and the Sandy Lane) was worth a whopping 125k, and it is an incredibly winnable prize for the pot.
The 115-rated Breeders’ Cup winner Starlust, 9s in places, is officially the top dog – the 116-rated Kind Of Blue was scratched from the race – but he carries a 5lb penalty first time up, and the market is headed by Rumstar and Night Raider.
But Mgheera is 7s, and that looks pretty big to me, for all we don’t know if she is going to make a quick turnaround and come here after her smooth-as-silk May 11 Longchamp success, on her way to a Group 1 shot at Royal Ascot perhaps.
She never backed up so quickly in her French career, but she certainly wasn’t raced sparingly and she held her form very well.
She proved herself a fair tool when trained in France last season, then (had no chance when drawn 16 of 16 in the Prix de L’Abbaye) and I thought she was super impressive on her debut for Ed Walker when going back to her homeland to win a Group 3 at Longchamp eight days ago, a race she finished third in last season.
She is ground-versatile (there could be 10mm on Saturday) but she clearly handles decent ground well (perhaps best).
The ground was officially described as good to soft last time but Timeform called it good to firm, and she looks a sprinter on the up.
She beat largely in-form and race-fit rivals, on her first start since October, at Longchamp, travelling smoothly throughout, and I certainly wouldn’t lay her at 7s (available in two places) myself.
I imagine when her revised BHA mark is known tomorrow (that win looked a career-best, even though she mixed it with the likes of Bradsell last term), she won’t be far off the top-rated horse in here at these weights (she is currently showing as 102 on the BHA site, and I assume she hasn’t been re-assessed – a line through the third Ponntos suggests the Longchamp form is improved-tasty) and I reckon she could be favourite on Saturday if she runs.
Unfortunately, her weekend plans are unknown to me. Keep an eye on for Walker’s Weekender column on Wednesday, not that he was anywhere near the mark with Vicario on Saturday…..
Walker said immediately after the Longchamp win: “Whether or not we think about the Temple Stakes at Haydock or a Group Two back in France on our way to Ascot or we go straight to Ascot I don’t know, we’ll see how she is, but the focus will be the King Charles III.”
UPDATE on Tuesday: She has gone up to a rating of 106 as of Tuesday morning, and I’ve just been told that Haydock is the plan, confirmed by Ed Walker in his Weekender column on Wednesday.
The 7s has gone but the [13/2] now rates a bet, and she is the only weekend punt I have had.
There are four horses currently double-entered in the race: the 5-1 poke Night Raider, 7s’ joint third favourite Jasour, and Frost At Dawn and Vadream, 16s and 40s respectively.
On the ground at Haydock, it is currently good to firm.
There is a largely dry forecast (some showers) until rain is set to arrive from around midday on Saturday.
Don’t back the 6/1 favourite Fort George ante-post as he has been confirmed for Goodwood on Friday.
This is a ferociously competitive 3yo 1m handicap, as it should be for a 100k pot.
At least I can whittle down the field to 10 from 23 though, as the following are doubly-entered this week: Afentiko, Defence Minister, Dixieland Blues, Fort George, Hot Cash, Humam, Jolly Roger, Linwood, Our Mighty Mo, Pellitory, Star Anthem, Thunder Wonder and Transparent.
Of course, plenty may run, but you are playing a dangerous game if you back any of those ante-post. Minimise the no-shows.
In truth, that doesn’t help too much as the 10 still house some dangerous, and obvious, lurkers like Teroomm, but I was taken by Footwork’s win here last time and he looks an okay price at 14s and a general 12s.
He went up 8lb for that win but he beat the right horses there (according to the betting, anyway) in a good time in a very pleasing fashion, and you’d be disappointed if he wasn’t able to be competitive here off his revised mark.
But being competitive here could consist of improving again and still finishing fifth if the field size holds up. which it may do with the money on offer.
I’ll wait to the final line-up is known.
The doubly-entered horses are as follows: Albany, Ashariba, Francophone, Meribella, Tasmania and Treasure.
That’s all on this race for now. It looks incredibly tricky at this stage.
Diamond Rain was trimmed from [11/2] – available with two Flutter firms, so I imagine their odds will have been changed at the same time – to [7/2] on Tuesday and she now vies for favouritism with form horse Running Lion.
That would have taken very little cash, especially as the [11/2] was stand-out, with one firm having opened up at just [11/4] about the Godolphin filly.
The aforementioned Big Mojo is currently the marginal [11/4] favourite in this ahead of the impressive Newbury Saturday winner Symbol Of Honour at 3s.
Arabian Dusk and Maw Lam are the double-entered horses in here – and Maw Lam is set to run on Friday now – so hopefully the numbers for this 125k pot (just 11 at the five-day stage) hold up pretty well.
Some bookmakers who have priced this up go [5/2], [5/2], 3s and 4s about their first four in the market, which is not great.
There is no Oddschecker grid for this 7f handicap, so I went looking around the sites for prices (as I did for the Beverley race below, which is also not on there).
I found one firm who had priced it up, and they go 8s, co-favourites of three, the field.
One of those is Stanhope Gardens, who I’ll come back to shortly.
Firstly, these are the doubly-entered horses: Afentiko, Best Rate, Defence Minister, Humam, Jolly Roger, Linwood, Miss Nightfall, Our Mighty Mo, Pellitory, Spirit Of Farhh, Stanhope Gardens, Star Anthem and Thunder Wonder.
The 111-rated Stanhope Gardens, one of the above, is actually using this, or a 1m conditions race at Salisbury on Saturday, as a stepping stone to the Derby, for which he is a 25s poke.
The latter aspect is no surprise as he finished a neck second to Delacroix in the Autumn Stakes last season, but this would be a rather unconventional prep.
Emma Spencer, racing manager to part-owners Chelsea Thoroughbreds, told the Racing Post recently: “The plan is the Derby. He had a very tiny setback and didn’t run in the Guineas but he’s in good order and the plan is to run next Saturday.
“Due to lack of options he’ll either run at Salisbury in a conditions race or in a valuable seven-furlong handicap at Goodwood. It’s slightly unconventional but he needs to run.”
They wouldn’t turn a hair with such a prep race in Australia.
A relative healthy – and it is all relative in these days of sparce field sizes – five-day entry of 12 for this 1m2f+ 4yo+ fillies and mares Listed race, but the first thing that strikes you about the betting is how unattractive it is.
Some bookmakers have eight of those 12 priced between 3s and 8s (and two of those, Trad Jazz and Victoria Harbour, hold alternative engagements this week), so I think you need a pretty good reason to get involved now.
One firm actually has [4/1] co-favourites of four!
Once again, none of the dozen set a scary standard for a Listed race, so everything is for grabs here, and I can see why the betting is, shall we say, close-knit.
No watering details, or going stick readings, have been given as of Wednesday morning (they did put 3mm down on Sunday).
A worryingly small number of 10 for the 50k Hilary Needler at the five-day stage.
Beverley will be happy Nick Bradley has three in here and apparently is set to run them all.
And, for all seven of the 10 runners are winners, none set too high a bar for the two newcomers to reach, though one of those, the Amo-owned Indigo Dawn, also has the option of a maiden at Goodwood on Saturday.
Unsurprisingly, I haven’t seen any bookmaker price this up yet.
I did find two bookmakers who issued prices on the 50k 2yo Trophy and one makes Ascot third Old Is Gold their [5/2] favourite in an admittedly defensively-priced book, with Newmarket winner Logi Bear next up at 3s.
The other make Old Is Gold and Logi Bear their [10/3] joint favourites in a rather more punter-friendly offering.
Tuwajeri has been confirmed for Haydock on Thursday, so don’t back him (he is still 10s), and the newcomer Naval Light is also in at Bath on Friday.
Again, a five-day field of just nine is very poor, whichever way you slice and dice it.
That Bath option hasn’t stopped Naval Light being cut into [5/4] and [6/4] with the bookmakers to have priced it up.
That reduction in price could have literally been a couple of people getting involved in a dead market, but the Wathnan-owned debutant cost 360,000 guineas at the Breeze-Ups last month.
And Wathnan do have another jocked-up newcomer in that Bath race, so Beverley may be the plan for this one.
We will know more by 10am on Wednesday – and we do as Naval Light has not taken up the Bath option.
We are now down to 12 in the Irish 2,000 Guineas, with Field Of Gold heading up the betting.
The first firms back up make him [8/11], with [5/6] subsequently the best available.
Juddmonte also has the [9/2] second favourite Cosmic Year, and 40s poke Windlord.
Going – Round: : Good to firm, good in places; Straight: Good to firm
Going stick: 7.5, Wednesday 8am
Soil moisture average: 40.81%
Wednesday morning course update: Mostly dry and sunshine, tending to become more overcast sunny spells towards Raceday. Highs of 21°C
Watering: 3-4mm selective areas on Tuesday and Wednesday to hold, with daily ET rates at 2-3mm.
Forecast: Largely dry, few showers, until 9mm from early hours on Saturday.
Going: Good, good to firm in places
Going stick: 7.2, Wednesday 9.20am
Wednesday morning course update: An overcast day with rain at times (light rain just started – 07:30) 3-5mm. Thursday and Friday dry and sunny 16/17C. Saturday a dry start with showers/light rain arriving at some point during the afternoon.
Watering: Straight – 8mm Friday & Sunday. 4mm Tuesday Round Course – 8mm Saturday & Monday Will review rainfall before making a further watering decision.
Forecast: 4mm Wednesday; 2mm Thursday; 1mm Saturday
Going: Good to firm, good in places (eased from good to firm)
Going stick: N/A
Wednesday morning course update: Wed – 16°/6° sunny and a gentle breeze Thu – 14°/3° sunny intervals and a gentle breeze Fri – 16°/4° sunny intervals and a gentle breeze Sat – 17°/9° light rain showers and and a gentle breeze
Watering: Light irrigation being applied to maintain going.
Stalls: Inside all Races
Forecast: 1.7mm Thursday; 5.4mm Saturday
Wednesday morning report from course
GOING: Good, Good to Firm in places (Watering).
Following 2mm of rain overnight. Dry and warm today & tomorrow with temperatures up to high teens/early 20s. Possibility of 5-7mm (approx) of rain through the weekend according to Met Éireann. Racing on stand side.
1.30pm Goodwood: Afentiko, Best Rate, Defence Minister, Humam, Jolly Roger, Linwood, Miss Nightfall, Our Mighty Mo, Pellitory, Spirit Of Farhh, Stanhope Gardens, Star Anthem, Thunder Wonder
1.50pm Haydock: Afentiko, Defence Minister, Dixieland Blues, Fort George (confirmed to run at Goodwood on Friday so don’t back him), Hot Cash, Humam, Jolly Roger, Linwood, Our Mighty Mo, Pellitory, Star Anthem, Thunder Wonder, Transparent
2.10pm Beverley: Indigo Dawn, (Argentine Tango finished a good second to an odds-on poke at Carlisle on Monday)
2.25pm Haydock: Albany, Ashariba, Francophone, Meribella, Tasmania, Treasure
2.45pm Beverley: Tuwajeri (confirmed to run at Haydock on Thursday)
3pm Haydock: Arabian Dusk, Maw Lam (confirmed to run at Haydock on Friday)
3.15pm Goodwood: Trad Jazz, Victoria Harbour
3.30pm Haydock: Jasour, Frost At Dawn (confirmed to run at Haydock on Friday) , Vadream
3.40pm Curragh: NONE now
On this week’s podcast: Intro: Golf, HBF Survey, SmartBash (0-3mins) Racing Review: Busy Week On…
3.30pm Haydock – My Betting Instinct is that First is too big at 16s in…
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