Ruled out of last month's G2 York S. when the rain came, Cheveley Park Stud's Autocratic (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) is at Haydock on Saturday bidding to provide Sir Michael Stoute with the outright record of four winners in the G3 Betfred Rose of Lancaster S. Successful in the G3 Brigadier Gerard S. over just short of this trip at Sandown on May 25, the 4-year-old half-brother to the sire Evasive (GB) faces better opposition this time. Of the fellow older horses, last year's Cambridgeshire H. winner Spark Plug (Ire) (Dylan Thomas {Ire}) showed he has not stood still in the interim when winning Sandown's Listed Gala S. last time on July 7, while Godolphin's Francis of Assisi (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}) returns after wins in the Oct. 26 G3 Bendigo Cup and Nov. 5 G3 Queen Elizabeth S. at Flemington by a combined margin of 13 lengths. “Francis of Assisi has been training well and I am looking forward to his first start of the year,” Charlie Appleby said. “He is coming back in trip slightly but that shouldn't be a concern, especially with ease in the ground. He won over an easy mile and a half out in Australia and a stiff mile and a quarter should be fine.”
Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum has won this five times, including with his stellar performer Nayef in 2001, and his unbeaten 3-year-old colt Laraaib (Ire) (Pivotal {GB}) has an intriguing profile. Having beaten the subsequent King George V H. winner Atty Persse (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) over this course and distance on May 26, the bay followed up in slick style in Ascot's London H. last time on July 15 and is likely to start favourite here.
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