21st-May-2022

I wanted to be against Winter Power here, simply because all her best form is at York – her Nunthorpe Stakes win and two listed race wins – and we know that York can be a little micro climate of its own.  York form doesn’t always travel.

Of course, if she produces her Nunthorpe run here, she will probably win, and York is not wholly dissimilar to Haydock in terms of configuration, but there is something about York that creates more course specialists than most other tracks have, and I am happy to be against Winter Power at a short price away from York.

Came From The Dark and Moss Gill were both tempting, but I prefer King’s Lynn.  He wasn’t beaten far in the King’s Stand Stakes at Royal Ascot last year, and he ran a big race in the Wokingham four days later to finish a close-up third behind Rohaan.  He ran really well too in the Group 3 Bengough Stakes back at Ascot in October, and he rounded off the season by winning a listed race at Doncaster.

He shaped encouragingly too on his debut this season at Chester.  He missed the break, with the result that the advantage of his inside draw almost became a disadvantage.  He was keen early on then, and he was very wide around the home turn.  In the end, he did well to get as close to Flaming Rib as he did.

He should come on for that run and, one for one at Haydock, it is probable that Andrew Balding has had this race in mind for him as his early season target for a while.  He should be primed for today.  Five furlongs on easy ground is close to ideal for him, and he could run a big race.

KING’S LYNN WON (ADV 7/1, SP 5/1)