Sea Silk Road is the Height Of Fashion for in-form Haggas

Promising Sea The Stars filly in Royal Ascot contention.

Sea Silk Road continued the red-hot recent run of William Haggas with a determined success in the William Hill Height Of Fashion Stakes at Goodwood.

A daughter of Sea The Stars, she was upped to Listed company having had just two previous outings but that did not prevent her from being sent off the 11-10 favourite.

Tom Marquand briefly looked short of room trapped in behind horses with a furlong and a half to run, as Jessica Harrington’s Viareggio made her bid for home, with Frankie Dettori on Emotion also to the fore.

All the while William Buick was smuggling Eternal Pearl into contention on the far side and she proved Sea Silk Road’s only danger when Marquand got her in the clear.

The front two pulled almost four lengths clear of Viareggio, with Haggas adding another notable victory in what has been an incredible week with the yard operating at a strike rate of almost 50 per cent.

“I think she is a promising filly and I’m pretty convinced she didn’t like that (soft) ground at all. It was her guts that got her though today, I think – and so did Tom, who said she was off the bridle three out and in trouble, but she wants to win,” said Haggas.

“She is a Sea The Stars and they can do anything. He is such a good sire. I think she will change (physically) and keep getting better and she might need some more time, but she has come a long way in a short space of time.

“I think she will get further as she gets stronger. The dam is by Doyen and they stay. I doubt we will put her away and bring her back. It is quite a hard thing to do, when the horses are running like they are at the moment.

“The Ribblesdale might be a bit quick, but we will see how she is.”

Asked about the yard’s purple patch and whether he had previously had such a good run, Haggas replied: “They are winning good races. They are not winning rubbish races, they are winning good races. That’s the great thing.”

The winner is now 10-1 from 16s with Betfair for the Ribblesdale Stakes at Royal Ascot.

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