William Haggas

The word was out about the William Haggas newcomer Bayaann (Too Darn Hot) at Lingfield on Thursday and the half-brother to I Can Fly (Fastnet Rock) duly delivered with a display full of promise. Sent off the well-backed 5-4 favourite for the seven-furlong maiden on the Polytrack, Sheikh Ahmed Al Maktoum's 410,000gns Tattersalls October Book 1 purchase took a while to find his stride but as soon as they had straightened for home had begun to loom. Giving generously for Rossa Ryan to overwhelm his peers in the last half a furlong,...

Unbelievably, there was a more expensive yearling purchase than My Ophelia (Wootton Bassett) in Saturday's mile novice at Newbury but it was Tony Bloom and Ian McAleavy's 1.7million gns Tattersalls October Book 1 sensation who emerged as the TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard. While the William Haggas-trained half-sister to the top-flight performers My Prospero (Iffraaj), My Oberon (Dubawi) and My Astra (Lope De Vega) played second fiddle to Alpinista's sister Alpinara (Frankel) at that auction, she was the one making headlines on the track as she rewarded even-money favouritism...

Soft ground at Doncaster on Friday meant that times were distinctly unimpressive, but a filly with a future shone through in Lilt (Lope De Vega). A daughter of James Wigan's star mare Dank (Dansili), the William Haggas-trained newcomer was allowed to saunter along on the front end by Cieren Fallon and when threatened by Hollywell Stream (Lope De Vega) gave more to seal a cosy neck success. "She had given me a nice feel at home and had a freebie there," the rider said of the daughter of the Breeders' Cup Filly...

Group 1 winner Economics has been retired from racing. Stud plans for the son of Night Of Thunder are pending. A winner of the G1 Irish Champion Stakes in 2024, the Shaikh Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa runner dominated the G2 Dante Stakes for William Haggas earlier that year. The G2 Prix Guillaume d'Ornano was added to the colt's win column next before his hard-fought tally in the Irish Champion. "He had everything you look for in a top-class racehorse — athleticism, temperament, and an extraordinary will to win," said...

Amid swirling winds across the Rowley Mile, Economics (Night Of Thunder) made a long-awaited public appearance when galloping prior to racing at Newmarket on Saturday with stable-mate Dubai Honour (Pride Of Dubai).  Ridden by Ted Durcan, the four-year-old Economics surged ahead of lead horse Irish Admiral heading into the dip and, followed through by Dubai Honour and Andrew Tinkler, stretched out nicely on the rising ground. The winner of the 2024 G1 Irish Champion Stakes and G2 Dante Stakes, Economics could reappear in the G1 Champion Stakes, in which he...

Fresh off a game effort to win the G2 Park Hill Stakes at Doncaster, Santorini Star (Golden Horn) will target the G1 Prix de Royallieu on Arc weekend, revealed co-owner Tony Bloom's racing manager Sean Graham. The Bloom and Ian McAleavy runner is searching for a first Group 1 triumph and will be routed accordingly. A consistent sort with six wins from 10 lifetime starts, the William Haggas trainee won a Goodwood handicap in May before running fourth in the Listed Pontefract Castle Fillies' Stakes in June and she filled...

Division (Kingman), an 800,000gns Tattersalls October Book 1 purchase, had shaped with promise when runner-up on debut at Windsor last month and started as the 4-6 favourite to build on that second time at Haydock. Always comfortable on the front end under James Doyle, the full-brother to the Lowther winner Celandine turned it on approaching the furlong pole to beat Night Mission (Dark Angel) by three lengths. The winner is the fourth foal out of Rockcliffe Stud's Listed Maggie Dickson Stakes winner and G3 Summer Stakes-placed Pepita, with the third...

Royal Ascot scorer Merchant, who had been an intended runner in Sunday's G2 Qatar Prix Niel at ParisLongchamp, has been ruled out for the remainder of the season after suffering a setback. Trained by William Haggas, Merchant was a dominant winner of the King George V Stakes at Royal Ascot, before taking the step up to Group company in his stride with a narrow defeat of Wimbeldon Hawkeye (Kameko) in the G3 Gordon Stakes at Goodwood last time. The son of Teofilo was due to put his Prix de l'Arc...

Lake Forest, the 2024 winner of the lucrative Golden Eagle at Rosehill in Australia, will return Down Under in the coming months, according to co-owner Tony Bloom's racing manager Sean Graham. In October is the A$20-million G1 The Everest, and then the No Nay Never colt will defend his Golden Eagle title in November. Trained by William Haggas for Bloom and Ian McAleavy, the chestnut was second in the G2 Lennox Stakes at Goodwood in July and in the August 23 G1 City Of York Stakes last weekend. Sean Graham,...

G2 Great Voltigeur runner-up Carmers (Wootton Bassett) is one of 15 horses remaining in the G1 St Leger at Doncaster next month at the latest entry stage. Trained by Paddy Twomey, he represents Fiona Carmichael. A winner at Ballinrobe at first asking in May, Carmers added the Listed Yeats Stakes to his haul at Navan later that month before claiming Royal Ascot glory in the G2 Queen's Vase in June. The Great Voltigeur was his first defeat. "We were very happy with him at York last week, finishing second in...

Capping a golden mid-Sunday-afternoon hour that Tony Bloom and Ian McAleavy will forever cherish, Sky Majesty (Blue Point) followed the exploits of their star juvenile Venetian Sun at Deauville with her own power play in Sunday's G3 Tally-Ho Stud Irish EBF Ballyogan Stakes at Naas. Last year's G2 Criterium de Maisons-Laffitte and G3 Firth of Clyde winner, who had prepped with a course-and-distance win in last month's Listed Yeomanstown Stud Irish EBF Stakes, showed how much she had improved in the interim tackling a deeper contest. Always travelling easily under...

So obviously a Stakes horse operating in handicaps, More Thunder (Night Of Thunder) shed his thinly-veiled disguise once and for all on Saturday to dominate Newbury's G2 Hungerford Stakes. Narrowly denied in the Wokingham at Royal Ascot before narrowly on top in the Bunbury Cup at Newmarket's July Festival, the 6-4 favourite had ideal fast fractions to run at throughout the seven-furlong feature and delivered his customary powerful finale to beat the penalised Lennox winner Witness Stand (Expert Eye) by 2 1/4 lengths. "He's fulfilling all that we expected and...