Possible Ascot duo form part of Haggas treble at Carlisle William Haggas served up two possible Royal Ascot livewires for prominent owners Wathnan Racing before making it a treble on the day as Carlisle staged their richest-ever raceday. The Newmarket handler doubled up with James Doyle in the peacock blue and gold silks of the Qatari outfit as the well-backed Opportunity and Realign delivered for punters in the first two races. Shadwell’s Albaydaa later made it three from four – Princling had been beaten into fourth in the Betway Silver Bowl – for the Somerville Lodge team in the Betway Fillies Handicap under Tom Marquand. Four-year-old Frankel gelding Opportunity (11-10 favourite) was the first of the Haggas winners, taking the Betway Handicap in fine style and booking a ticket for the Duke of Edinburgh Handicap in the process. Half an hour later Realign (100-30 favourite) advertised his Wokingham credentials, overcoming a headstrong performance to justify favouritism in the Betway Reverence Handicap. Trainer’s wife Maureen Haggas was making her first trip to the Cumbrian track which, owing to the switch from last week’s abandoned Haydock meeting, staged the race named in honour of her late father Lester Piggott. She suggested both horses might be worth keeping on side. “Opportunity looked pretty strong at the finish. I think we will go to Duke of Edinburgh over a mile and a half next,” she said. “We will see where we are after that but he has an entry in the Northumberland Plate. “You might want a bit more cut but he is a nice horse. It is a stiff track here and he’s going to get a mile-and-a-half and maybe further in time. He has always been nice and hopefully now he is a bit older he will be able to show what he can do.” Realign eventually consented to give Doyle control of the handbrake after pulling hard early on in the five-and-a-half furlong contest and Haggas felt the Blue Point four-year-old would improve for a stronger pace next time. The Wokingham at Royal Ascot would certainly provide that even if getting into the bottom of that big sprint is not guaranteed. Haggas said: “He did well because he took James on a little bit early on. He’s a big, strong bull of a horse and he maybe overdid it. This is a stiff track but he stayed really well and a stronger pace would suit him better. “Hopefully he’ll get into the Wokingham.” Albaydaa (4-5 favourite), who had posted placed efforts at Newmarket and Ascot so far this term, made it a treble on the card with a narrow win over seven furlongs. “That makes it a very nice day indeed,” said Maureen Haggas. “I thought she did well from where she was drawn and she is learning all the time. Today is an improvement on her first two runs so the trajectory is going in the right direction.” Saffie Osborne, who was hit with a two-day suspension for careless riding aboard Ghaiyya in the opener, had earlier landed the Betway Silver Bowl on Blue Courvoisier. But the jockey was denied a double on Wild Thoughts by a strong finish from Sean Levey and St Anton (7-4 favourite), a fifth well-backed favourite on the day, in the Betway Bet £10 Get £60 Handicap, a first winner at the track for the trainer.
