Haggas is best bet with young horses

THOSE studying the form for yesterday’s cards would have seen the red-hot form of trainer William Haggas and and stopped right there.

Haggas has enjoyed a 51-percent strike rate in the last two weeks, 18 winners from his last 35 runners and that’s included a striking Group One success with Baaeed in last Saturday’s Lockinge Stakes at Newbury.

The only issue for Saturday punters was that Haggas (right) only had three runners and none were in the feature races broadcast on ITV. The Newmarket trainer did the damage during the week, plundering good quality races in grand style. Montaasib and Sea Silk Road both looked hugely progressive at Goodwood on Friday and both can take a hand at Royal Ascot next month.

On the same day, Sense Of Duty won a nice race at Haydock and My Prospero beat the Queen’s highly regarded Reach For The Moon in the Heron

Stakes at Sandown on Thursday. On Wednesday, Haggas and jockey Tom Marquand went on a rare trip to my local track Ayr, with a filly named My Astra.

This I had to see. I backed My Astra with confidence even though she had a bit to find on the raw figures but she had an exciting unexposed profile that her rivals didn’t. In winning the Rothesay Stakes by 12 lengths, I could not recall a better performance on the Flat at Ayr by a three-year-old filly. The turn of foot shown was devastating as it was effortless and she bounded away in the style of at least a Group Two performer.

Haggas is a top-class target trainer. He softly brings younger horses along and educates them well for the jump to a higher level.

John Gosden and Aidan

O’Brien are amazing trainers but if I was fortunate enough to own a promising Flat horse, I’d be sending him or her to Haggas.