Sky Bet Sunday Series: bonus hunters and mudlarks to note
Connections of Blow Your Horn and Derry Lad have more reason than most to hope the Sky Bet Sunday Series fixture at Haydock Park on Sunday passes a morning inspection.
Both horses are in line to land a £100,000 bonus should they win at the meeting, having already each gained two wins in this year’s Series.
The six-figure bonus is on offer to the connections of the first horse to win three times across the Series, with Blow Your Horn and Derry Lad one step away after their respective victories at Pontefract in late June. Blow Your Horn had earlier won at Beverley, while Derry Lad had scored at Hamilton.
If both win on Sunday, the bonus will be shared. If neither are successful, they will still have one further opportunity to scoop the pot at the final Sky Bet Sunday Series fixture at Sandown later in the month.Evaluation came within inches of scooping the bonus last year, gaining two wins before being beaten a nose at Sandown.
Coleman talks to Tom Stanley about the latest win of Derry Lad
Derry Lad, trained by Kevin Coleman, faces ten rivals in the Sky Bet Sunday Series Middle Distance Handicap (5.15) and is quoted at 5-1 in the early betting. He’s gone up an aggregate of 13lb for his wins and will be dropping back in trip but he’s been given time to recharge his batteries and is at home on testing ground.
Blow Your Horn takes his chance in the closing Sky Bet Sunday Series Stayers Handicap (6.45). The Ian Williams-trained six-year-old has been beaten at Newcastle since his latest success and is quoted at 17-2. Deep ground is an unknown for him and he missed an engagement at Windsor last summer because of soft ground.
Who will be at home in the mud? Here are five to keep in mind.
3.45: SHEIKH MAZ MAHOOD
It’s usually a case of the wetter the better for the offspring of Fast Company and Sheikh Maz Mahood, who represents him here, looks no exception. He won in tidy style when encountering heavy ground at Catterick last season – the only time he’s run on such a surface – and also went close on soft ground next time at Musselburgh. We’ve only seen him twice this term; winning first time up before probably finding underfoot conditions a bit quick in a hot race at The Curragh last time. Spoof and Twilight Madness are also at home in the mud but Sheikh Maz Mahood is open to more improvement than them and looks underestimated in the betting.
5.15: AULD TOON LOON
The bonus-seeking Derry Lad is proven in the mud but his recent improvement has come on better going. He’s up against a pair who act well on testing ground in Three Yorkshiremen and Auld Toon Loon. Preference is for the latter, a son of Belardo who seemed to relish a first run on heavy ground at Chester last month when an emphatic winner. A 4lb rise looks lenient, especially with the fourth, Bushfire, having gained a subsequent win.
5.45 NELLIE LEYLAX
Heavy ground is an unknown for Nellie Leylax but the youngster is 2/2 when encountering soft going and it’s hard to believe he won’t cope with conditions as well as his six rivals, if not better. He was swiftly into stride and made all over 7f at Doncaster last time, having previously run well in defeat over course and distance. He’s not been missed in the betting but looks a solid favourite.
6.15 GOLDEN MELODY
Like Auld Toon Loon, she was sired by Belardo, who was in his element on soft ground. She’s won only one of her past 24 starts but, perhaps significantly, that success was gained when she encountered heavy going at Thirsk last autumn. Golden Melody has dipped to a mark that is now 2lb lower and her penultimate effort, when finding one too good on soft ground at Ripon, hinted she would soon be taking advantage. The obvious threat is Nigiri, who impressed over course and distance (good to soft) last time and is sure to be popular. She’s by Lope De Vega, which lends encouragement to her also handling conditions.
6.45 PYRAMID PLACE
The ground is a definite worry for the bonus-seeking Blow Your Horn but, by contrast, it will be no bother for Pyramid Place. He didn’t offer much in four starts on the Flat in 2019 and 2020 when trained by John Gosden (all on the all-weather at up 1m 4f) but has since won six times over hurdles for Milton Harris, with four of those triumphs being achieved on heavy going. He did well to get up at Cartmel last time, over 2m 6f in the mud when humping 11st 2lb, and you’d imagine he will be plugging on when others have cried enough. He will think he’s running loose with 8st 10lb and Saffie Osborne on his back.
