Record-breaker Poker starting off low-key at Haydock

Karl Burke is happy to limit expectations ahead of record-breaking purchase Poker making his racecourse bow at Haydock on Friday.

Amo Racing supremo Kia Joorabchian paid 4.3million guineas at last year’s Tattersalls Book One yearling sale to beat off Coolmore and secure the son of Wootton Bassett, who is out of a winning sister to Oaks heroine Was and described at the time by bloodstock agent Alex Elliott as “as close to perfection as you can get”.

Despite holding an entry in the Group One Futurity Trophy Stakes at Doncaster next month, he is seen as “a horse for next year”. But even so, the Spigot Lodge handler is now ready to take the wraps off the high-value asset in the seven-furlong Castle Green Homes EBF Novice Stakes on Merseyside.

And it would be somewhat fitting if the youngster – who commanded the highest worldwide fee for a yearling colt in 2024 and set an all-time European record in the process – could honour the legacy of his illustrious sire in the week of his death.

“It is very much a first run and he’s a work in progress who is a horse for next year really,” said Burke.

“He’s ready to run and I’m not expecting fireworks but hopefully he can run a nice race.

“I don’t want to keep galloping him at home and he’s ready to go to the races. This is a nice track and a good starting point for him, but he will probably want further as well.”

Poker was part of a mammoth spend by the Amo team at Tattersalls’ Park Paddocks in October, as they also landed the sales-topping 4.4million guineas filly named Partying who is in training with Kevin Philippart de Foy, as well as a 2.5million guineas sister to Arc-winning Alpinista, who has appropriately joined Sir Mark Prescott.