By Tom Frary
With Haydock's two sprint Group 2s going ahead after early drama on Saturday's card, it was Karl Burke and Clifford Lee who were the most relieved as they pulled off the double with Night Raider (Dark Angel) in the William Hill Temple Stakes.
Sent off the 3-1 favourite for the five-furlong test, having marked his first run since a gelding op with an all-the-way win in Newmarket's G3 Palace House Stakes earlier this month, Wathnan's representative wasn't asked to lead this time with his rider in supreme form.
Delivered to take control inside the final 50 yards, he asserted for a length success from last year's King Charles III Stakes hero American Affair (Washington DC), with the winner's stablemate and the Sandy Lane scorer Venetian Sun's work companion Beautiful Diamond (Twilight Son) a head away in third.
Wathnan's racing manager Richard Brown said, “He bashed his head on the stalls and he missed it a couple of lengths and usually that is game over. We think he is more comfortable in front bowling along, as he has got a very big stride. He has had to do it a different way today, so I think to be able to do it like that it will give James [Doyle] options at Royal Ascot should he need them.”
“I felt that gelding him had made a massive difference, as did Karl and his team, but you want to see him do it again,” he added. “If there is crazy pace on at Ascot, James will know he can ride him in a different fashion if he needs to.”
Jim Goldie is planning another tilt at the Royal Ascot prize the runner-up captured 12 months ago. “I'm delighted with that–we wanted to get that run into him,” he said. “We decided we'd let him run, but probably the deadish ground beat him. On livelier ground he would have probably taken a bit of catching and that will put him spot-on for Ascot. He ran in this last year and bombed, but he wants to run and, as Paul [Mulrennan] says he wants to do it at 40 miles per hour!”
The real article this season?
Night Raider remains unbeaten this term with a smooth success in the Group 2 @WillHillRacing Temple Stakes for Wathnan Racing on a day to remember for the @karl_burke team @haydockraces pic.twitter.com/VuvT6GgBkZ
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) May 23, 2026
Pedigree Notes
Night Raider, a half-brother to the fellow Palace House winner and sire Far Above (Farhh), is out of Dorraar (Shamardal) who is a granddaughter of the Ribblesdale winner and Oaks runner-up Bahr (Generous). She produced the Prix de l'Opera and Flower Bowl Invitational heroine Nahrain (Selkirk), who was in turn responsible for the triple Group 1-winning Benbatl (Dubawi) and the 1,000 Guineas heroine Elmalka (Kingman). Bahr is also the second dam of the three-times Group-winning Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint runner-up Go Bears Go (Kodi Bear). Dorraar's two-year-old filly Cronometra (St Mark's Basilica) was a 350,000gns purchase by The Thoroughbred Racing Corporation at Tattersalls October Book 2.
Saturday, Haydock, Britain
WILLIAM HILL TEMPLE STAKES-G2, £165,000, Haydock, 5-23, 3yo/up, 5fT, 1:01.02, g/s.
1–NIGHT RAIDER (IRE), 132, g, 5, by Dark Angel (Ire)
1st Dam: Dorraar (Ire), by Shamardal
2nd Dam: Dorrati, by Dubai Millennium (GB)
3rd Dam: Bahr (GB), by Generous (Ire)
(155,000gns Wlg '21 TADEWE). O-Wathnan Racing; B-Linden Bloodstock Ltd; T-Karl Burke; J-Clifford Lee. £93,572. Lifetime Record: 16-6-0-1, $351,625. *1/2 to Far Above (Ire) (Farhh {GB}), GSW-Eng & SW-Fr. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree, or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–American Affair (GB), 132, g, 6, Washington DC (Ire)–Classy Anne (GB), by Orientor (GB). O-Barraston Racing & Jim Goldie; B-John McGrandles; T-Jim Goldie. £35,475.
3–Beautiful Diamond (GB), 129, m, 5, Twilight Son (GB)–Babylon Lane (GB), by Lethal Force (Ire). (30,000gns Ylg '22 TATSOM; £360,000 2yo '23 GOUKB). O-Sheikh Rashid Dalmook Al Maktoum; B-Rosyground Stud; T-Karl Burke. £17,754.
Margins: 1, HD, SHD. Odds: 3.00, 10.00, 28.00.
Also Ran: Jakajaro (Ire), Mgheera (GB), Argentine Tango (GB), Getreadytorumble (GB), Frost At Dawn, Jm Jungle (Ire), Khaadem (Ire), Shagraan (Ire), Asfoora (Aus). Scratched: First Instinct (GB).
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