Why a frustrating Royal Ascot can pave the way for an excellent autumn for this top trainer

If moving house over the weekend taught me anything, it’s that patience is key. 

While awarded a brief break to watch Lambourn notch his Derby double at the Curragh on Sunday, my time was otherwise spent in the seemingly endless cycle of ferrying boxes from one flat to another in sweltering heat. 

I’m sure being a racehorse trainer is a similarly thankless task at times, with the reward for hard work a mere speck in the distance. However, if there's one trainer who I think can capitalise on a frustrating Royal Ascot it is William Haggas.

The Newmarket trainer is operating at a 20 per cent strike-rate and hasn't had a bad season by any means, but the royal meeting exemplified both the ups and downs of his profession and could tell us a lot about how the rest of his year will go.

His finest moment came when Merchant landed the King George V Stakes, after which he revealed the sort of turmoil which comes part and parcel with managing the careers of fragile athletes. 

"Yesterday the horse coughed 10 times at exercise, he'd never coughed before, and then the seeds of doubt come in, the sleepless nights, are we doing the right thing?" he said. "Do I tell Harry [Herbert, Highclere Thoroughbreds managing director]? No. No. 

“Yes, we're doing the right thing, we must run, the horse is fine. Then going into the saddling box he slipped just as he was going in, he then held his leg – the left-hind – all through saddling, so we went out and trotted him up twice. He seemed alright, but I said to Tom [Marquand] to take him out at the start if he wasn't happy.”

Merchant: William Haggas's Royal Ascot winner looks in for a big autumnCredit: Patrick McCann (racingpost.com/photos)

While that decision paid off in spades, Haggas was forced to pull the plug elsewhere.

As well as Economics, who reportedly pulled a muscle prior to his eagerly anticipated seasonal reappearance in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes, Treasure Time was high up in the ante-post lists and didn’t run at the meeting, while new recruit Caviar Heights was pulled out of the Duke of Edinburgh Stakes due to a dirty scope.

Furthermore, unexposed handicappers Supermodel and The King’s Falcon, who were among the favourites for the Sandringham Stakes and Golden Gates respectively, were declared non-runners due to an infection and a bad scope.

It's difficult to know whether those are isolated incidents of poor luck or down to bigger issues at the yard, but nevertheless it could pay to follow those horses for the remainder of the season given their reputations and popularity in the betting. 

Treasure Time hasn’t run since his eyecatching fourth at Doncaster in September and would be in with a big chance if lining up in Saturday’s Coral Challenge at Sandown as he's still very unexposed off his unchanged mark of 94. 

Treasure Time: was entered in the Royal Hunt Cup and Buckingham Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot but didn't runCredit: John Grossick (racingpost.com/photos)

The same meeting could see Supermodel run in the Coral Distaff. The good-looking filly beat a decent sort in Treasure on her handicap debut at Nottingham last time and looks likely to rate higher still.

The King’s Falcon will be one to watch if making his handicap bow in the £100,000 bet365 Handicap at Newmarket next week. He finished a neck second to the now 105-rated Jackknife at Epsom in April and won going away at Carlisle afterwards. A mark of 90 looks very exploitable.

At the same meeting, the seven furlongs of the Bunbury Cup ought to be the catalyst to More Thunder avenging his Wokingham defeat. The four-year-old boasts Group 2 entries and is only 3lb higher for his exceptionally strong runner-up effort to Get It last time.

The waiting game has clearly been required for Alobayyah, too. The Irish Oaks entry was put up as a horse to follow by Marquand (Haggas's stable jockey) at the start of the season but has yet to emerge. 

It would be foolish to recommend her for the Curragh Classic on the back of one – admittedly very impressive – run at Yarmouth, but nevertheless she remains a high-class prospect and one to follow into the autumn.

While I unpack the last of the boxes in the hope to settle into my new stable, I'll be keeping an eye on Haggas's runners in the hope of a sparkling autumn. 

Lake Victoria: looks nailed on for further Group 1 success this seasonCredit: Patrick McCann (racingpost.com/photos)

Do not underestimate Lake Victoria

Field Of Gold is undoubtedly a spectacular racehorse, but don't forget about the winner of the other Irish Guineas. 

Last year's exceptional juvenile Lake Victoria was a deeply impressive winner at the Curragh in May and, while she wasn't ready for the Coronation Stakes afterwards, her form was boosted in that race by Cercene.

Aidan O’Brien has earmarked September's Matron Stakes as her primary target, but I'm desperate for her to be tried against the colts before the season is out as she recorded a marginally faster time than Field Of Gold and is arguably open to a similar amount of improvement. 

Read these next:

The Irish Derby's other big winner: what next for this Royal Ascot star after major form boost? 

Thady Gosden hopeful Ombudsman can defy 'very tight' turnaround to join Eclipse immortals 

Kevin Philippart de Foy to replace Raphael Freire as retained trainer at Amo Racing's historic Freemason Lodge stables 

Looking for free bets? Racing Post have got the best offers, all in one place. Visit racingpost.com/freebets to find out more.