William Haggas

It is the time of year when ideas begin to form about the following season's Classics and with Derbys in mind, Saturday's G2 Alan Smurfit Memorial Beresford S. at The Curragh offers food for thought. Aidan O'Brien's record in this mile staging post is plain remarkable, even by his standards, with a tally of 21 winners including St Nicholas Abbey (Ire), Saxon Warrior (Jpn), Japan (GB) and Luxembourg (Ire) and the fact that he has a trio engaged in the race he missed out in 12 months ago for the...

Relief Rally (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}), the winner of the G2 Lowther S., will take her chance in the G1 Cheveley Park S. at Newmarket on Oct. 30, Anthony Bromley, racing manager for owners Simon Munir and Isaac Souede, revealed on Wednesday. The four-for-five William Haggas-trained bay was also being considered for the G1 Prix de l'Abbaye in open company and versus elders the day after the Cheveley Park. Second in the G2 Queen Mary S. by only a nose at third asking in June, she triumphed in the Weatherbys Super...

The weights for the 133 horses still in the running for the Nov. 7 G1 Lexus Melbourne Cup were released on Tuesday and early 4-1 favourite Vauban (Fr) (Galiway {GB}) was assigned 55kg, 3.5kg below highweight and 2022 Melbourne Cup winner Gold Trip (Fr) (Outstrip {GB}). The Willie Mullins-trained 5-year-old former hurdler, who won the G3 Ballyroan S. at Naas last month after taking the Listed Copper Horse H. at Royal Ascot in his first flat attempt in June, sits sixteenth on the weights list. Vauban's stablemate and Ballyroan runner-up...

In 2017 and 2018, Aidan O'Brien won both the St Leger and Irish St Leger, first with Capri (Ire) and Order Of St George (Ire), and the following year with Kew Gardens (Ire) and Flag Of Honour (Ire). Given the dominance of both the trainer and his not-so-secret weapon Galileo (Ire), it has perhaps passed beyond being remarkable that all four of those horses are by the late former champion sire, but it is worth noting nonetheless. This year, William Haggas will attempt to pull off that same staying Classic...

Silver Racing's G2 July S. runner-up Lake Forest (GB) (No Nay Never--Lady Aquitaine, by El Prado {Ire}) was unable to concede weight all round when following up in a Newmarket novices' heat earlier this month and rebounded in style to cause a 16-1 upset for the William Haggas stable in Friday's G2 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai Gimcrack S. at York. Comfortable in rear until surging into contention after halfway, he challenged the leading wave underneath the stands' side fence approaching the final furlong and kept on strongly, despite drifting left...

Simon Munir and Isaac Souede's G2 Queen Mary S. runner-up Relief Rally (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}--Kathoe {Ire}, by Fayruz {GB}) impressed when annexing Newbury's Weatherbys Super Sprint by daylight last month and pounced late to secure a fourth win in five starts, upped to six furlongs for the first time, in Thursday's G2 Sky Bet Lowther S. at York. The 2-1 favourite, who had earlier snagged early-season wins over five furlongs at Windsor and Salisbury, was sharply into stride and settled under cover behind the leaders in fifth after the initial...

Last week this column was led by Hukum (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}). Now, for the same owner/breeder, Shadwell, it is the turn of Al Husn (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}). It was quite the boost for Newcastle's all-weather G3 Hoppings Fillies' S. that both the winner Al Husn and runner-up Nashwa (GB) (Frankel {GB}) went on to win a Group 1 on the turf on their next start. With Nashwa having won the G1 Falmouth S. in emphatic fashion, she reopposed Al Husn in attempting to defend her crown in the...

King Charles III's 'TDN Rising Star' Desert Hero (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}--Desert Breeze {GB}, by Dubawi {Ire}) represents the last chance of a Classic winner for His Majesty in the inaugural year of his reign and the William Haggas trainee went some way to making that a reality with a narrow verdict in Thursday's G3 John Pearce Racing Gordon S. at Goodwood. Positioned at the tail of the six-runner field through halfway in this staging post for next month's G1 St Leger, the 7-1 chance was shaken up to...

Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-pedigreed horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Saturday's Observations features the well-bred Henry Longfellow (Ire) on debut at the Curragh. 13.30 Curragh, Mdn, €20,000, 2yo, c/g, 7fT HENRY LONGFELLOW (IRE) (Dubawi {Ire}) wins the award as the day's best-bred runner, being the second foal out of the high-class and versatile Ballydoyle sensation Minding (Ire) (Galileo {Ire})...

Newbury's G1 Al Shaqab Lockinge S. has been a happy hunting ground for some top fillies in recent times and Saturday's renewal features another as TDN Rising Star Laurel (GB) (Kingman {GB}) takes aim at the colts. Dazzling with her sectionals in a Kempton novice in September, the daughter of Promising Lead (GB) (Danehill) was sent into battle for the G1 Sun Chariot S. by the normally more-reserved Gosdens just days later and justified that risk by beating all bar Fonteyn (GB) (Farhh {GB}) in the Newmarket contest. With a...

Cheveley Park Stud's Sacred (GB) (Exceed And Excel {Aus}--Sacre Caroline, by Blame) had failed in three prior attempts at Group 1 level, but top-table options remain open after she collected a third pattern-race triumph in Saturday's recalibrated G3 Fitzdares Chartwell Fillies' S. at Lingfield. She was making her first start on a synthetic surface here and 2021's G3 Nell Gwyn S. and G2 Hungerford S. victrix returned to action for this seven-furlong heat coming back off a second over the same trip in October's G2 Challenge S. at Newmarket. Sacred...

Aidan O'Brien's phenomenal record at Chester's May Festival speaks for itself and while there was a small bump in the road on Thursday as Changingoftheguard (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) failed to read the script, it is another of the stable's key 4-year-olds who steps forward to take up the mantle on Friday. One of the unfortunate TDN Rising Stars who was denied the opportunity to make an impact in his Classic year, Point Lonsdale (Ire) (Australia {GB}) showed enough when beating the subsequent G2 Mooresbridge S. winner Visualisation (Ire) (No Nay...