Charles Byrnes's Irish raider gives added interest to intriguing contest

Sunday: 6.45 Haydock
Sky Bet Sunday Series Stayers Handicap (Class 4) | 2m | 3yo+ (0-85) | ITV4/RTV

This is as interesting a Class 4 staying race as you are likely to see and Charles Byrnes adds further intrigue by sending over Run For Oscar.

Byrnes races his horses sparingly this side of the Irish Sea and is 2-5 on the Flat in Britain over the last five seasons. The dual-purpose trainer also operated at a healthy 30 per cent strike-rate with his jumpers here last season.

Run For Oscar shaped promisingly when third in a decent two-mile handicap at the Curragh last time and may have finished a clear second had he not found traffic problems in the straight.

He is only 1lb higher here and has sound claims, although he will need to incur a significant handicap rise for his entry in next month's Irish Cesarewitch to be a plausible one.

Heading the home challenge could be Malakahna, who would have found 1m1½f too sharp at Wolverhampton on her first Flat run for Ian Williams in July.

Malakahna won three on the bounce over hurdles for these connections from March to April and may have been let in lightly off an opening mark of 75 on her handicap debut. Two miles is an unknown, but there is abundant stamina in her pedigree and she merits close inspection.

Of the remainder, do not rule out Kasperenko springing a surprise under Hollie Doyle, who rides for the first time.

Kasperenko has tumbled down the weights since winning a Listed prize over 1m4f at Kempton in 2018 and has just his second run over two miles on turf in his 37-race career.

The first of those came at York last month and Kasperenko ran creditably when sixth to useful yardstick Danni California at odds of 40-1.

Pitching an out-of-form eight-year-old over a staying distance this late in the day may appear a last roll of the dice by connections, but Class 4 staying races are rarely run at a helter-skelter gallop.

The ability to settle combined with a turn of foot in the latter stages can prove just as vital as dour stamina.
Race analysis by Robbie Wilders

What they say

Martin Todhunter, trainer of Arctic Fox
She's in good form but she's up in grade and the weights, so she'll need to pull out more. I think going up to two miles could bring out a bit extra and I think she'll get the trip.

Grant Tuer, trainer of Real Terms
It's a big step up in trip but I've always thought she wants two miles and, if I'm right, she'll run a good race.

Charlie Johnston, joint-trainer of Levitate
He just got up in the last stride at Thirsk having never really travelled; he looks an out-and-out stayer. This is definitely a step up in class for him in a competitive race, but you don't get many opportunities to run horses with his rating for this kind of money, so we thought it was worth a shot.
Reporting by Andrew Dietz

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