2012 Ascendant Stakes at Haydock Tips

There's some high-quality racing kicking off this Saturday with a number of Group level races set to unfold across the UK, Ireland and continental Europe.

The action gets started early on as Haydock Park plays host to a listed race at 1:45 and, over the next four hours, we're set to be treated to ten exciting contests, many of which will factor into the ultimate equation for the big races coming up at the end of the flat season in October/November. The big Group level contests finish up at 5:45 with the Irish Champion Stakes looking ready to produce another enthralling iteration.

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In the 1:45 opener, we have Aidan O'Brien coming into this race absolutely loaded with the Ballydoyle team set to line up Batle of Marengo, who just broke his maiden at Gowran Park with Joseph O'Brien in the irons on the day. It was a sensational 11L score in his second start and he'll be looking to move forward on that as he steps up to face winners for the first time. He is co-entered for the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Trial Stakes later that day though.

Flying The Flag also comes out of the O'Brien barn for this one along with Lines of Battle rounding out a three-way entry. All of them look to be quite competitive and only a few runners look capable of matching them. Godolphin will get some attention based on their selection of Cap O'Rushes for this one. He scored on his debut by 8 lengths, albeit in a fairly poor race at Kempton.

Al Waab lines up for Sir Henry Cecil's yard and Ian Mongan is booked for the mount. The son of Danehill Dancer has taken two scores on the bounce and that's more than most here have been able to muster. Expect him to be competitive. Birdman is the most heavily-raced contender here and he drops down from hitting the board in the Group 2 Galileo European Breeders Futurity Stakes at the Curragh just a week or two ago.

He has a maiden and a novice stakes win to his credit.

Luca Cumani saddles up Makafeh with stable jock Kieren Fallon booked for the trip once again. He was just pipped on the line by Oasis Cannes in early August in a novice stakes contest shortly after breaking his maiden at Yarmouth. He's taken money on both of those occasions and is worth taking alook at if he's making an impressive prerace appearance.

The most likely contender set to go off as the favourite looks to be Sheikh Hamdan's Steeler, who already has a listed score to his credit from Goodwood on September 4. He also managed a second place finish in a field of five in a Group 3 encounter at York. It is interesting that Fallon moves off the horse for this one.