First Instinct stays on an upward curve at Haydock

First Instinct remained unbeaten, as William Haggas and Tom Marquand enjoyed a two-year-old double at Haydock.

The daughter of Bated Breath had hinted at being a useful prospect when making a winning debut at Nottingham last month and confirmed that promise when shading a photo in the valuable Tattersalls £40,000 EBF Fillies’ Novice Stakes on Merseyside.

Sent off at 17-2 she was held up in the early stages, but made notable progress as the race developed to edge her way to the front and deny Richard Fahey’s favourite Stormy Impact in the shadow of the post.

Marquand was delighted to see the filly maintain her 100 per cent record and feels she could be even better when encountering a sounder surface.

Marquand said: “She’s been faultless, I was a little bit worried the ground today would blunt her speed, but she fell asleep early which was key I think. She showed that turn of foot she showed on her first start and I think with some better ground she will be even more effective.

“She would have been an unlucky loser if she hadn’t got up, but it’s such a tough one with these horses who win first time because their education is so important. Sometimes you win first time and to be honest get beat second time because they haven’t had much of an education and it’s the next step on the path to creating a racehorse.

“She’s good enough that she has got her head in front again, but we were concentrating on getting her relaxed early, getting her to learn how to race right. She’s been good enough to come out the other side and win anyway and I think she’s had a nice day at the races today and probably cemented what she learned first time even more so.

“Now she’s had two starts and it is onwards and upwards, hopefully. To me she’s pretty quick and I think she’s quicker than she’s shown there – I think that tacky ground just blunted her turn of foot a touch. So while she did really well to get up, I think there is a bit more speed in the locker.”

Haggas and Marquand doubled their tally in the very next race where Bintjeddah improved markedly on her Newmarket bow to get off the mark in the Arete Capital Foundation EBF Fillies’ Novice Stakes.

Despite odds of 16-1, she scooted three lengths clear of runner-up Blessed Star to register a taking success.

“I still think she was a little bit unaware of what was happening, but she had a nice gallop to aim at and obviously that little wave of pressure from three furlongs down probably just helped her get into gear and I thought she did it nicely,” continued Marquand, speaking to Racing TV.

“She took a bit of stoking but she never had me worried, I always felt she was going to keep finding for pressure. She’s learned a lot, but I think there is still a bit more to come.

“It’s great she’s got her head in front and hopefully this will lead to nicer things and continue on a nice path for connections.”

Marquand registered a treble on the card when he steered Robert Stephens’ Knight Templar (11-2) to victory in the Best Odds On The Betfair Exchange Handicap.

But there was no luck for the popular veteran Copper Knight in his 100th appearance as Tim Easterby’s 10-year-old could only finish eighth in the Lee Thomas Christy Memorial Handicap won by Tristan Davidson’s Our Absent Friend.