Haggas 4 timer Saturday- but can older handicappers revive at Donny?

Silver Lake’s effortless victory at Doncaster marked her fourth consecutive triumph, securing yet another winning major festival for our selections. The momentum is firmly with us as we turn to Saturday’s action, where a 3pt play on More Thunder holds every chance of adding another major winner to the ledger.

Saturday’s Standouts:

At the top end of the card, More Thunder and Dubai Honour look a cut above their respective rivals. Both hold massive claims in their individual assignments:

• More Thunder (2.55 Doncaster): We have already advised a 3pt stake at the 6/4 initial mark. Given his class edge, it would be a genuine surprise if he returns any bigger than Even-money at the off.
• Dubai Honour (1.30 Chester): Sets the standard in the 12f Listed feature. Ticking every box with ideal conditions and an advantageous draw in Stall 4, the current 5/6 looks generous. Expect him to shorten toward 1/2, particularly if the forecast Saturday morning rain arrives to soften the ground.

The two-year-old division also offers strong returns. Extragalactic looks every inch an odds-on banker from Stall 1 in the 7f novice at Musselburgh.

Over at Chester, National Pride (Stall 5) should go extremely close in the 2.40 juvenile novice, though he will need to see off Night Star, who faces a trickier assignment out wide in Stall 8. With two juveniles well-positioned at Chester, Somerville Lodge could conceivably land a four-timer on the day as the yard’s young stock continue to thrive.

The recent form of the two-year-olds was underlined by Perfect Strike’s 12/1 shock victory at Sandown on Friday. Market support completely evaporated as he drifted from 8/1 out to 12/1 on his third start, yet he produced a striking performance—an anomaly for a two-year-old drifter from this stable in recent memory.

The Older Handicapper Enigma

In stark contrast to the thriving juveniles, the stable’s older handicappers have endured a campaign so dismal it almost defies belief.

A glimmer of hope emerged at York when Power Fizz rose like a phoenix from the ash, turning in a winning performance after running like a turtle in his previous summer outings. However, his victory highlights a glaring stat: Power Fizz became just the third 4yo+ horse from the William Haggas yard to win a Class 3 or higher handicap since Royal Ascot (a sequence that includes Kinswoman’s odds-on victory at 4/9 in a four-runner field).

That record stands at a dismal 3 wins from 43 runners, including 21 beaten horses sent off 1st or 2nd in the market. Class 2 races alone currently since 19th June is 0-30.

Haggas 4yo+ Class 2 Summer Record Comparison:
• 2024 (June–August): 6 wins from 18 attempts
• 2025 (June–August): 8 wins from 18 attempts
• 2026 Campaign:      0 wins from 30 attempts (since Opportunity & Alobayyah at Ascot)

Doncaster Feature: 4.15 Pertemps Handicap

Haggas fields two contenders in Saturday’s 4.15 Pertemps Handicap at Doncaster, but both carry severe wealth warnings given the yard’s ongoing handicap drought. Unsurprisingly, early drift in the betting has already materialized:

• Bullet Point (Opened 5/1 ➔ Now 7/1): The gelding is ultra-tough and guaranteed to give his all. Although his current mark sits 3lb higher than his last winning mark, his recent performance behind The Lost King received a massive form boost when the winner narrowly missed out by a nose in a Group 3 at Haydock last weekend.
• Scoville (Opened 5/1 ➔ Now 8/1): Something of an enigma. Settled last when dropped to 7f at Newbury last time out, he stayed on at one pace to finish 3rd. The experiment with shorter trips appears to have been abandoned.

While Moonfall and Mezcala both threats with scope for progression, even a return to form for Bullet Point isn’t enough to overcome the statistics.

Verdict: NO BET RECOMMENDED. That 0-for-30 run at Class 2 level for the older horses is too damning to ignore.

Looking Ahead

With quality taking priority over quantity on Saturday, the stable turns to Sunday with four runners entered across a competitive afternoon of racing to wrap up a big weekend.