Lancashire Oaks

Night Of Thunder currently sits at the top of the sire rankings for Britain and Ireland and, in a year in which he has already been represented by a first Classic winner in Desert Flower, his position could well be strengthened after Saturday with two other star performers lining up at Sandown and Haydock. Coral's sponsorship of the Eclipse Stakes reaches its 50th anniversary this year and the Group 1 contest, which has a roll of honour including such great names as Mill Reef, Sadler's Wells, Giant's Causeway and Enable,...

Haydock's G2 bet365 Lancashire Oaks was blighted by the withdrawals of Antonia de Vega (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) and Dame Malliot (GB) (Champs Elysees {GB}), but such was the manner of victory of Waverley Racing's hot favourite Manuela de Vega (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) it may be that their resistance would have proven futile regardless. Having made all in dramatic fashion when beating the subsequent G2 Hardwicke S. scorer Fanny Logan (Ire) (Sea the Stars {Ire}) in the course-and-distance G3 Pinnacle S. June 7, the 1-2 market-leader was...