Hawaafez to show her magic in Bet365 Lancashire Oaks at Haydock
Trainer Marcus Tregoning is expecting Hawaafez to maintain the highest standards in the Bet365 Lancashire Oaks at Haydock this weekend. The 4-year-old was an easy winner on her seasonal debut at Newbury, where she outpaced Meganisi by four lengths to seize
the top place in the JLT Aston Park Stakes in May.
Hawaafez was not a part of the line-up initially, but the trainer, who has high hopes of his dashing filly, suddenly decided to take the chance. Meanwhile, he is hoping for a bold show from Askar Tau in Saturday’s Coral Marathon at Sandown.
Hawaafez will be aiming for her hat-trick, as she was quite brilliant in her final outing last season. The spectators at Newmarket saw her securing the first position by staggering seven lengths. Although the weather is completely unpredictable, Tregoning
expects Nayef’s daughter to do well on Haydock’s soft surface.
On the other hand, Askar Tau is completely out of form at the moment. The 7-year-old was terrible in his comeback at Sandown at the end of May. In the Group 3 Betfair Henry II Stakes, Tregoning’s charge ended up sixth behind Opinion Poll.
After a steady start, he held up off the pace in the last quartet. Despite the fact that he improved his work to some extent after that, it was almost impossible for him to create problems for the winner. Under George Baker, he failed to do anything special
last time, finishing fifth behind Colour Vision in the Group 1 Gold Cup at Royal Ascot.
"We've scratched Mulaqen from the Old Newton Cup but Hawaafez will run in the Lancashire Oaks. The forecast is very unpredictable but she has at least won on a soft surface before - I just hope they don't get an unbelievable amount,” said Tregoning.
He added: "We like her a lot and a repeat of her Newbury form will put her right in the mix. She had an entry at Sandown also but it looks like Askar Tau will run there. He ran as well as could have been expected in the Gold Cup at Ascot (fifth) and it looks
like Sandown have escaped most of the rain."
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