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SKY BET SUNDAY SERIES DATE: Sunday 6th August 2023

LOCATION: Haydock Park Racecourse, Newton-le-Willows, Merseyside, WA12 0HQ

Racing began on common land at nearby Golborne Heath in 1752, continuing until 1898, with those fixtures mostly sponsored and patronised by members of the Newton Hunt.

Racing moved to Haydock Park – an area of parkland bounded by the towns of Haydock (to the west), Ashton-in-Makerfield (to the north), Golborne (to the east) and Newton-le-Willows (to the south) – in 1899. The Old Newton Cup is the last surviving link between the original course at Golborne Heath and the current course at Haydock Park.

Owned by the Jockey Club, Haydock Park stages more than thirty fixtures per year (Flat and jumps). Popular Flat races include the Temple Stakes (May), the Old Newton Cup and Lancashire Oaks (July) and the Sprint Cup (September).

Haydock is a left-handed oval track. Galloping in nature, the overall circumference is approximately 1m4f, with a lengthy run from the final bend of four-and-a-half furlongs.

Located in the North West of England, the racing surface must withstand some of the harshest weather patterns in the country. The fact that Haydock can provide two distinct sprint tracks - an inner and an outer course - for races run over 5f and 6f offers an asset to owners The Jockey Club and longstanding Clerk of the Course Kirkland Tellwright.

William Haggas (13-45; 29%, +£1.74) finished leading trainer at Haydock in 2022, five clear of his closest pursuer Karl Burke (8-40; 20%, +£19.36).

Sea La Rosa took the Group 3 Pinnacle Stakes for Haggas in May, before going onto enjoy a stellar season which brought glory in the Group Two Lillie Langtry Stakes (Goodwood) and the Group One Qatar Prix de Royallieu (Longchamp). Sea On Time, a maiden winner, was another Haggas-trained filly to visit the Haydock Park winners enclosure in those same Sunderland Holding Inc silks.

John & Thady Gosden (7-26; 27%, +£2.36), Ralph Beckett (7-28; 25%, +£0.70) and Charles Hills (6-19; 32%, +£26.37) were others with a strike-rate either equal to or in excess of a winner every fourth runner.

Tom Marquand (9-42; 21%, -£5.87) finished the 2022 Flat season as the leading rider at Haydock Park, surprisingly bettering the tallies recorded by Jim Crowley (7-23; 30%, +£12.45) and William Buick (6-15; 40%, +£0.59), who have the continued backing of Shadwell and Godolphin respectively. Indeed, Crowley was aboard the Spring Trophy (Aldaary), Rose of Lancaster Stakes (Amnaat) and Sprint Cup (Minzaal) winners.

Cieren Fallon (6-33; 18%; -£9.37) and Hector Crouch (5-15; 33%, +£6.20) fared next best.

“At Haydock, I usually find that you don’t want to be on the inside rail because you can’t guarantee having a clear run. It isn’t easy to get out of trouble if you find yourself trapped in a pocket. Nevertheless, Haydock is lovely. With a long home straight and suitable racing room (track position dependant) you will usually have enough time to wait before making your final move.”

“At Haydock, I always feel it is an awfully long home straight, although it can ride more like a two-furlong straight. You tend to see a lot of horses getting boxed-in on the rail, and sometimes from a low draw you do need luck in-running. Nevertheless, Haydock is a great track, and it is handy that there are two separate sprint tracks. The ground can change quickly, with conditions soon becoming very testing. Having a second sprint track can offer/provide hope of fresh ground.”

Leitzel (David O’Meara), Silky Wilkie (Karl Burke) and Sterling Knight (Ed Dunlop) were all unbeaten (2-2) at Haydock in 2022. Furthermore, Arctic Fox (2-4; Martin Todhunter) was a mare who seemed to relish making the trip to the Lancashire venue.

Conditions were fine and dry for the fifth Sky Bet Sunday Series fixture of the year, whereDevil’s Angel (Jedd O’Keeffe) sprung a 50-1 surprise in the 6f Class 4 handicap. In truth, his odds probably didn’t accurately reflect his chance, given that he’d been successful at Sandown on his penultimate start and held a valid excuse – upset in the stalls - for a more modest performance at Newmarket subsequently.

There was another shock winner in the middle-distance handicap with Tim Easterby’s Jewel Maker (18-1) seemingly well suited by stepping up in distance (1m2f).

Roger Varian’s Charyn (9-2) was successful in the newcomers’ maiden. The Dark Angel juvenile continued to progress nicely thereafter, scoring by the narrowest of margins in a Group Two contest at Chantilly in October.