It’s set to be bottomless conditions at Haydock come Saturday afternoon and that requires us to take a closer look at some real course specialists.
Danzeno stormed back to form last time for his first win in nearly two years and he is favourite for this at 3/1. He looks a weak favourite having failed to win two on the bounce at any point during a career which saw him feature at the highest level.
There will be plenty of support for Stake Acclaim who put in an outstanding run on his seasonal reappearance to win off a break of 517-days. That was a magnificient training performance by Dean Ivory and he has taken another 71-days to get Stake Acclaim ready for this and he should put up a bold showing.
But I’m with the Michael Dods trained-mare, INTENSE ROMANCE, who gets 2lbs from the colts at the head of the betting and she is a real mudlark. Intense Romance showed her liking for this quirky track when putting in a hugely-impressive performance over the same conditions last year winning, going away, to kick off a hatrick of victories at the end of last season, all coming on testing ground.
Intense Romance looked in need of the run on her opening start of the season at Naas, breaking well before fading late-on. The form of that contest is working out well with the likes of Soffia who was ahead of her going on to win in pattern-company yesterday.
Intense Romance earned two of her three victories last year in Listed company so is fully up to this level and Dods is a trainer that tends to improve his mare sprinters and with Intense Romance now in her third campaign there is every chance she can progress and leave the form of her opening run behind with fitness now on her side.
1.5pts win Intense Romance @4/1, 15:00 Haydock, Saturday
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