Improving Haggas horse can cause upset at Haydock

Horse Racing
Improving Haggas horse can cause upset at Haydock

The progressive Klassique can gain her first pattern success in the Pinnacle Stakes at Haydock on Saturday.

The four-year-old rose through the ranks during the second half of last year’s Flat season when winning three races in a row, including a valuable 1m4f fillies’ handicap at Newmarket’s Rowley Mile course, before ending her season with a narrow second in a Group 3 at Saint-Cloud.

She looked to need the run when finishing second in a Listed race at Goodwood in May, where she made smooth headway to lead two furlongs out before fading slightly.

But, the race would have blown away any winter cobwebs and she will not be lacking in race fitness for the contest.

Her improvement has led to the handicapper raising her a whopping 22lb since her second career victory at Kempton in September, and given that William Haggas and Daniel Tudhope have the best trainer/jockey record out of all the runners with a 30% strike rate when teaming up, Klassique can continue her upward curve and establish herself as a group race performer.

Pilaster sets the benchmark after landing the Group 2 Lillie Langtry Stakes at Glorious Goodwood last year.

The daughter of Nathaniel followed that up with a game third in the Park Hill Stakes, but has been out of sorts form-wise this season, and the forecasted showers will be a worry for connections.

The Willie Mullins-trained True Self tops the BTO ratings and currently dominates the market.

The mare has proved to be a revelation since she switched to the Flat and is unbeaten at this distance.

She already has three Listed successes to her name, but the form of those races has not worked out as strong as many people would have hoped, and faces her sternest challenge to date.

With True Self skinny in the market, it’s worth taking a gamble on a similarly progressive Klassqiue at 5/1.

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