Soprano Oaks bid confirmed Paul Deegan has confirmed his star mare Midnight Soprano an intended runner in Saturday's bet365 Lancashire Oaks at Haydock. The six-year-old won five times during a superb 2012 campaign and took her game to another level on her seasonal return, securing a first win at Pattern level in last month's Group Three Noblesse Stakes at Cork. She is set for another step up in class on Merseyside this weekend, but Deegan is confident his charge is up to the task. Deegan said: "It's more than likely she'll run on Saturday and she came out of her last race extremely well. She's in tip-top order. "We thought she'd definitely improved and strengthened up through the winter and it was great to see her come back and win first time out. "She has definitely come on for that run, she's a Group Three winner now and a Group Two is the obvious next step. I think she's a solid Group Two mare. "I think it's good ground there (at Haydock) at the moment and there is a bit more rain on the way, so it should be perfect."
