Sallaal, the 1-2 favourite, continued his rise through the ranks with another victory in the Betway Rose Of Lancaster Stakes at Haydock Park on Saturday afternoon.
Roger Varian's improving four-year-old brought up a hat-trick of successes for the season in the Group Three feature at the Merseyside track, scoring well under Ray Dawson.
Career progression
Sallaal was a winner on his debut in a seven-furlong maiden at Yarmouth in October 2024, and was campaigned over a mile and 1m½f during his three-year-old career, winning a Novice Stakes event and handicap at Hamilton in five starts.
The son of Frankel was gelded last November and has been a revelation this season. Having been runner-up to Rathgar in a 1m2f handicap at Epsom on his seasonal return at the end of April, he turned a usually-competitive handicap back over course and distance at Epsom on Betfred Oaks day into a rout, scoring by six-and-a-half lengths. He then stepped up another gear, winning a Listed event at Sandown before his first crack at Group Three company at Haydock.
Race details
He took that step up in grade in his stride to score by a length-and-three-quarters from Sea Scout (11-1) with Nahraan (5-1) a further length back in third.
Dawson had Sallaal settled just off the lead set by the Liverpool FC fan Karl Burke-trained Convergent and Clifford Lee. Sea Scout initially took over but Sallaal went to the front about two furlongs from home and held off the challengers for another smooth success.
Future plans
Sallaal may try to land a Group One prize now at the back-end of the season with trainer Varian possibly looking at a crack at the Irish Champion Stakes or the Champion Stakes at Ascot on British Champions Day in October. Paddy Power cut Sallall into 10-1 from 20-1 for the latter Group One contest.
Winning jockey Dawson said: "It was probably the slowest he has ever been in a race but he behaved really well. Cliff's horse (Clifford Lee on Convergent) being a bit keen probably helped the race. It helped me anyway, setting the race up for me. It would have been a real sprint otherwise."
"I am delighted how this horse has progressed. Tommy Proctor rides him out and he has been magic with this horse this year, got him really relaxed. It is just keeping him calm. He is actually very well behaved. It is more habit than anything. And he just keeps progressing as I said and we're really happy with him."
"It was a kind of a spring the last three-and-a-half-furlongs anyway and he is not a sprinter. He is more of as stayer. He is not slow by any means but he stays very well which the race worked against him as we couldn't use that cruising speed early doors. But as soon as he felt Oisin (Murphy on the John and Thady Gosden-trained Nahraan) come to me he has actually gone on. He was hard to pull up and it is exciting to see where he goes."
On whether he is up to taking another step up the ladder to the top level, Dawson added: "That is not my job. Roger (Varian) has trained him perfectly this season. He hasn't jumped too high too early and he has progressed from a big handicap to a Listed to a Group Three. There are so many options for him and I am sure whatever decision they make will be the right one."
