June Review and 5 for July but time to take a pull this week.

A best ever Royal Ascot and the Group 1 win of Almeraq was the highlight of a month for the yard but from my betting angle it will be remembered for a significant number of horses that were backed off the boards and beaten out of sight.

Over the 30 years of following the Haggas yard I would estimate that the win strike rate for runners sent off with a similar high level of confidence would never be less than 40% and some months as high as 60%. In June I had 9 bets on such horses with only 2 returning a profit.

We still made a small profit on the month but I appreciate that was at advised prices and punters only able to get on S.P. probably showed a small loss.

The lack of profit is largely down to 3 highly rated horses that I backed heavily both times they ran in the month. Saber Strike, Eternal Force, and High Degree, those 6 defeats, resulting in a loss of 13pts.

Overall the strike rate for the yard on the month was almost identical to 2024 and 2025 at around 21% from around 90 runners.

With the exception of 2024 when the horses were not right July normally sees the strike rate jump to between 25-30% it was 29% in 2025.

The results since Royal Ascot have been very mixed and I have a a strong feeling that some of the horses are not quite right – all the Sandown entries on Friday were not declared. York Tower was another fancied horse to be well beaten at Thirsk today. The experience I have following the yard tells me when a succession of well fancied, well backed horses run this poorly means they are not fully healthy. It won’t be all of them a few may still win, but there will be fewer runners and the only option is to wait until the horses perform as expected. It didn’t happen in 2025 but I took this decision twice in the summer of 2024 – on both occasions it proved to be correct.

Hence It will be a quiet weekend with No Bets.

The disappointing maidens Al Maslool runs on Thursday, he is due to be sold at next week’s Tattersalls July Sales, and Fractional who will be odds on at Chepstow on Friday are not recommended as bets. I will update the confirmations for Saturday on Friday morning.

5 Horses to Follow in July

Lake Forest, Hoseki, Yimmna, Divine Knight and Manaar.

REFA 2026

Lake Forest my No 1 horse to follow at Glorious Goodwood