Haydock wrap: Poptronic digs deep in Lancashire Oaks

Poptronic finally enjoyed her moment in the spotlight when gamely holding off Sea Silk Road to win the bet365 Lancashire Oaks at Haydock.

Since winning the Hoppings Stakes at Newcastle last season, Karl Burke’s filly had come up just short in several big races.

In two runs previous runs this season, she had done herself no favours by racing keenly, but on this occasion she was far more tractable in the hands of Sam James.

Happy to take a lead off Peripatetic until the two-furlong marker, Poptronic (12-1) still looked a bit of a sitting duck as the three big guns, Mimikyu, Time Lock and finally Sea Silk Road all laid down a challenge.

After seeing off the first two it looked like she may have to give best to William Haggas’ Sea Silk Road, who had beaten Poptronic last time out in the Lester Piggott Stakes, but Burke’s four-year-old was not to be denied.

In the last 50 yards, the run of the 7-4 favourite just flattened out and Poptronic won by a neck.

Kelly Burke, daughter of the winning trainer who rides Poptronic every day at home, said: “I was delighted, she’s been banging on the door the whole time and she’s such a genuine, tough filly.

“I think the slight change of tactics, just going that little bit more forward, has helped. She can be quite keen and because of that we’ve tried to drop her in and not let her over-race, but she’s got more settled as the year has gone on.

“I think the key with her is not to pull her around and kick early because she hasn’t got a turn of foot, she just keeps grinding it out and if you ride her for a turn of foot, they always beat her.

“She ran well behind the favourite (Sea Silk Road) here last time and she actually beat her the time before. I think it’s just how the race pans out sometimes.

“I’m delighted she’s won a Group Two now.”

When asked whether a step up to Group One level in the Yorkshire Oaks could be next on Poptronic’s agenda, Burke added: “Definitely, there’s no reason not to go is there?

“She’s ran really well at York a few times, so that could be exciting.”

James said: “I spoke to Karl before the race and she used to be a bit keen in her races, Kelly rides her every day and she’s done a great job with her.

“She was keen last year and today she was grand. They went a nice gallop so I was able to just follow the lead horse, I would have gone on had they have gone steadily but it worked perfectly. I was able to just start stretching them.

“I was a bit surprised at the price she was as the second horse had only beaten us by a couple of lengths the last day, when we were still trying to switch her off all the time. Today I was able to go forward on her and ride a race whenever I wanted really.

“It’s a big win for me. Karl has been very good to me the last couple of seasons and this filly has been very good to me. I won a Group Three at Newcastle on her and now I’ve won a Group Two and she deserves it as well.”

Wootton’Sun only got into the bet365 Old Newton Cup at Haydock as a reserve, but he took full advantage to provide Richard Fahey with his first win in the race.

The four-year-old was declared as the second reserve but, thankfully for his connections, his place in the race was confirmed by Friday afternoon and he gamely came out on top to claim the almost £80,000 first prize.

Ridden by 52-year-old Joe Fanning, who is enjoying an excellent season, the 15-2 chance first had to see off Cumulonimbus and then hang tough to repel the late run of Scampi.

Fanning and Fahey have not teamed up together that often in their illustrious careers, but they were the perfect combination on this occasion.

Fahey said: “To be very honest, when we were second reserve, Steve (Bradley, owner) rang me and wanted to book a jockey and I said ‘Steve, we’ve no chance of getting in’!

"Fantastic," says Richard Fahey after realising a long-term target in unlikely circumstances_

“It couldn’t have worked out better in the end as Joe was available, he had a light weight and to win feels like a ‘Brucey bonus’.

“It was a race we had in mind at the beginning of the season and I felt he should have won before now and he’d definitely have got in.

“He’s been running very well and if he had won before today he’d have gone up three or four pounds. For him to sneak in and win is fantastic.

“That was his Derby so it’s great it worked out.”

Elsewhere on the card, Lordship (100-30F) continued his upward trajectory when recording an eye-catching success in the £100,000 bet365 Handicap over a mile and six furlongs.

The three-year-old was quickly turned out having completed a double at Yarmouth eight days ago and he showed a good turn of foot to bring up the hat-trick here, recovering from a sluggish start to sweep down the outside and mow down the Simon and Ed Crisford-trained Flower Of Dubai.

Each of Lordship’s three victories this term have come on good to firm ground, but Maureen Haggas feels that he could well improve for some cut in the ground – citing the Melrose Stakes at York in August as a possible target.

The wife and assistant to trainer William Haggas said: “He’s not done a lot wrong so far. It was an interesting route round like at Yarmouth the other day, but once he got out he always looked like he was going to win.

“He’s a nice straightforward horse and he’s going in the right direction. Something like the Melrose at York would be a nice target to aim at but we’ll see. It will be interesting if we can ever get him on a bit of decent ground with some juice.”

Maureen Haggas, assistant to her husband, said: “He’s not done much wrong, has he? It was an interesting route round, as it was at Yarmouth the other day, but once he got out it always looked like he was going to win.”

When asked whether the Melrose Handicap at York could be next on Lordship’s agenda, Haggas added: “That would be a nice target to aim at, wouldn’t it?

“It’ll be interesting if we ever get him on some decent ground – he’d prefer a bit of juice – but he’s a nice, straightforward horse who is going in the right direction.”

Ramazan completed a lucrative double for trainer Richard Fahey in the Price Promise At bet365 Handicap.

The Musley Bank handler had earlier plundered the £150,000 Old Newton Cup with the Joe Fanning-ridden Wootton’Sun and Ramazan was the 11-4 favourite to pick up the lion’s share of £50,000 in the hands of Oisin Orr following a creditable effort in the Britannia Stakes at Royal Ascot.

Orr left it late, but Ramazan answered his every call to get up and beat Chartwell House by a length.

Fahey said: “I don’t think he stayed the mile at Ascot, but I thought he ran a big race there.

“I think he’s just a seven-furlong horse. He might go six, it’s just his whole demeanour isn’t for six furlongs yet, but he’s from a fast family.

“He’s in the Bunbury Cup (at Newmarket next week) and he’s in the International at Ascot (July 29), but I don’t think he’ll get in either. He’ll definitely get in them next year, he’s that sort of horse.”

Jm Jungle (9-2) recoded an overdue victory in the Bet Boost At bet365 Handicap.

John Quinn’s three-year-old had been placed on several occasions since opening his account at Hamilton in May of last year and after travelling strongly, he knuckled down to see off the challenge of Spirit Of Applause by a length and a quarter.

“He’s been running really consistently and I thought he was very unlucky to bump into a really well handicapped one the last day (Count D’Orsay),” said winning jockey Jason Hart.

“He went to bite the second horse so I just had to drag him back off, but he’s done it well.”

Tierney was a 28-1 winner of the bet365 Nursery for trainer Hugo Palmer and apprentice rider Harry Davies, while the concluding Best Odds Guaranteed At bet365.com Handicap went to the Richard Hughes-trained Nails Murphy (9-2).