Telescope heading for Haydock

Posted by Andy at Bet1015.com on 09/08/2013

The Betfred Rose Of Lancaster Stakes will be one of the highlight races of the weekend from Haydock Park on Saturday afternoon and we should be in for a thrilling encounter.

Before the race, much of the talk is about the entry of the impressive Telescope, who will be looking to come out on top here as he puts his big reputation on the line.

We have only seen his horse on three occasions in the past and he has managed to win two encounters, which included a victory at Leicester last month, where he went off as the 1/2 favourite. Telescope won by 24 lengths, so he couldn't have done much more to show he is in good form.

The colt was looking to run in the Epsom Derby earlier in the campaign, but an injury meant his preparation was disrupted and Stoute didn't feel the risk was worth it.

At the moment, Sir Michael Stoute's horse is the 4/5 favourite for Rose Of Lancaster Stakes, so many believe he is going to have too much for the rest of the field.

Ryan Moore will be the jockey on board this three-year-old on Saturday and that is sure to give him an even better chance of coming out on top.

Although Telescope is clearly the most talented horse in this field, the pressure is on and it is going to be interesting to see how he runs with everyone expecting him to win.

As he comes from Stoute's yard though, the one-time Derby favourite is in good hands and you can be sure his preparation has been spot-on. If there were any problems, the famous trainer would have withdrawn the big favourite.

Lady Cecil's Noble Mission and Godolphin's City Style are two horses that could prove to be tough for Telescope to beat, but as long as Moore can get a good ride on the talented three-year-old, he should have any problems winning this one.

What the future holds for Stoute's charge remains unclear, but should he come through this one in good shape, then the Red Mills Irish Champion Stakes - which is a Group 1 race at Leopardstown - could be his next trip.

It would be a tougher race, but another one that Telescope would be looking to win.

For now though, all attention is on the Rose of Lancaster Stakes on Saturday afternoon.