Pulitzer picks up Haydock prize as Josephine Gordon stars with treble

Third behind subsequent Lowther victor Threading at Goodwood, Pulitzer was sent off the 2-1 joint-favourite for trainer Hugo Palmer, and Gordon's mount hardly gave her supporters a moment of worry as she ran out a three-quarter-length winner to earn a possible step up in class.

Palmer said: "She ran in a good maiden at the July Meeting (at Newmarket) and ran OK on her debut, but we were a bit disappointed and when she came back, she was in season. She was probably still a bit weak when she was third behind Threading and on today's performance, she should have been second there."

He added: "She is out of a Black Sam Bellamy mare and while I'm not saying she will stay, she will take a little bit of time to reach her peak.

"She handled the ground nicely today and we might look at something like the Bosra Sham at Newmarket or the Radley Stakes at Newbury towards the back-end and try to get her some black type."

Palmer also provided Gordon's second winner via Hyperfocus (11-2) in the 32Red Handicap.

Ridden with plenty of confidence, Hyperfocus was pushed into the lead with around a furlong to run and kept on gamely to repel Toofi by a length and three-quarters.

Palmer said: "He deserved that. On his first start, he bolted to the start and then bolted halfway home and just fell in a heap.

"Then he ran at Sandown and was sick after that. On his comeback, he was a bit too keen again so we gelded him and I think we will start to see the best of him now.

"I hope coming into the autumn we'll pick up a few more races like that. There's eight weeks of the season left and there's plenty of options."

Gordon completed her hat-trick aboard the Brian Ellison-trained Nordic Combined (20-1) in the 10 Free At 32Red.com Handicap.

Muntadab benefited from a quality front-running ride to win the Haydock 32Red On The App Store Handicap.

Roger Fell's charge had not got his head in front this season, but back on a mark of 92 having been rated 8lb higher earlier in the campaign, Tony Hamilton's mount made no mistake this time, winning by a length and a half.

Muntadab was taking a dip in class having contest the likes of the Wokingham at Royal Ascot and Ripon's Great St Wilfrid so far this campaign, but Fell is now mulling a trip to Ayr later this month.

He said: "I think it's there for us all to see now - he just needs soft ground. He's a different horse on it.

"I think a bit of soft ground in some of those bigger races earlier in the year would have made a difference.

"We've entered him for the Ayr Gold Cup and I suppose if he doesn't get into that, there is the Silver Cup. We just need it to keep raining.

"We run Burnt Sugar at Leopardstown tomorrow and he likes soft ground, so hopefully he will run well, too."

Hamilton was completing a double having landed the opening 32Red Casino EBF Fillies' Novice Stakes aboard Richard Fahey's Amazing Michele (4-1).

Major Pusey (7-2) obliged favourite-backers in the 32Red.com Handicap, while Awake My Soul (8-1) showed plenty of guts to win the closing 32Red Casino Handicap.