Haydock Park play host to the first of their three-day September meeting on Thursday with the ground, at the time of writing, good to soft but a largely dry week is expected in the run up to Saturday's big Group One sprint.
In the opener Arabian Oasis (2.00) can go one better than on debut when runner up in a soft ground Newmarket maiden over today's trip. The colt holds an entry in next year's Derby as well as many of the valuable end of season sales' events. As a son of Oasis Dream the drying ground holds no terrors especially when you consider his half-brother Leger winner Sixties Icon was well served by fast ground.
Dissolution is entered in many of the top end of term juvenile events and he was very well backed at York last time when he gave the impression a step up to a mile would see him in a better light. He will be a tough nut to crack but the Godolphin runner gets the vote.
In the mile handicap Hala Hala (2.30) has been knocking on the door of late and the hope is that the step back up to a mile will help the Michael Bell filly who ran well under today's inexperienced claimer at Newcastle last month. The Bell stable had a quiet start to the season but did us a favour courtesy of Big Orange at Chester last weekend and the selection won off a higher mark as a juvenile last September.
Skate will be hard to beat in the second division of the 6f maiden but he might be worth taking on despite having an official mark of 82; newcomer Storytale has an entry in the Dewhurst next month and should be noted for a market move on debut but Mercury (3.35) is surely better than he has shown to date for Kevin Ryan and can make it third time lucky.
The7f Conditions event can go to Morache Music (4.05) who won over this trip for the first time at Doncaster last time. The stable of Peter Makin are in good form at present and he is taken to follow up last month's success especially if Dutch Rose takes them on at a good clip.
The classic generation have won the 12f handicap for the last four years but their chance is not too obvious this time although this represents a drop in grade for the lightly-raced Lady Tyne. Preference, however, is for the mare Headline News (4.40) who ran her best race of the season at Leicester last time and gave every impression that she needs a step back up in trip. She has a good draw in stall one and regular pilot Chris Catlin again takes the ride.
A Little Bit Dusty won the finale two years ago off today's mark and must go close but I think Aryizad (5.10) has been slowly coming to hand after missing the majority of the season and she did win her only race to date this time last year. She has the considerable advantage of being ridden by Simon Walker, is well drawn and can reward each way support.
An excellent card at Salisbury sees the feature G3 Dick Poole Stakes attract some serious fillies' with Gary Moore's hat-trick seeking Bronze Maquette setting the standard after an excellent win at listed level last month at Newbury. The daughter of Dark Angel is drawn in the car park however and preference lay with the unexposed pair of Marsh Hawk and Touchline (4.20) and the latter getting the nod under Frankie Dettori.
Michael Bell's filly got off the mark at the second attempt last month at Yarmouth, winning in very impressive fashion and looks of the potential to gain valuable black-type success for her owner and breeder Her Majesty the Queen.
Four 100+ animals contest the conditions stakes on the card with Marco Botti's Renew (5.20) given the nod after a decent pipe-opener last time out at Windsor. The 4-y-o has cheek-pieces on for the first time and that should see him get the better of Mark Johnston's progressive filly Maid in Rio, receiving of lumps of weight from her elders.
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