Graeme Rodway on why we could be seeing a different kind of Prescott plot

3.15 Haydock
bet365 Old Newton Cup Handicap | 1m4f | 4yo+ | ITV/RTV

Sir Mark Prescott is famed for bringing horses through the handicap ranks and his runners frequently start from basement marks before racking up sequences of victories in handicaps.

It's certainly rare to see a Prescott-trained runner line up off a relatively high mark (92) in a Class 2 handicap without having had plenty of prior experience. So is it significant that the Newmarket trainer runs Longsider in such a hotly contested event after just three outings?

Since the start of 2016, Prescott has saddled just four runners in Class 2 handicaps after less than four runs in their career and two were successful. Both winners went off 9-4 favourite.

Longsider could be considered an exception because both winners were juveniles and, as a four-year-old who only made his debut for the trainer at Lingfield in February having previously been with David Lanigan, he hasn't been a Prescott project for his whole career.

However, his new trainer could have gone for a lower-grade, especially on this first run for 147 days. In the last five years Prescott has saddled 12 runners in Class 2 handicaps after at least 100 days off and only Timoshenko, who won at Goodwood in 2019, was successful.

Timoshenko did represent the same owners Middleham Park Racing, though, so it is an approach that has worked for the team in the past. Maybe Longsider can follow his lead.

The John and Thady Gosden-trained Grand Bazaar is likely to be one of the big dangers.

The four-year-old was having his first run after a gelding operation when beaten just a short-neck in third on his seasonal reappearance at Newmarket in May and, in recent years, Gosden-trained runners have often performed better on their second run after the procedure.

Since the start of 2016, Gosden-trained runners have struck at 16 per cent (16-97; -£11.82 to £1 level-stakes) on their first start after gelding, but that figure improves to 25 per cent (21-84; -£1.41) on second outing after the procedure, so Grand Bazaar should progress.

Roger Varian carried off the Northumberland Vase at Newcastle last week with Zeeband and the Newmarket trainer has a fantastic recent record in Class 2 handicaps over 1m3f or further.

Varian has saddled eight winners from 28 runners in such races since the start of last year, for a £1 level-stake profit of £8.50, and that's a big pointer to his one runner here, Valyrian Steel.

Nobody has a better recent record in this race than Mark Johnston. He has saddled three winners and a further five horses to be placed from 24 runners since the start of 2011. Zabeel Champion and The Trader are the two horses representing the Middleham trainer this year.
Race analysis by Graeme Rodway

What they say

William Haggas, trainer of Pablo Escobarr
He's a horse who I think needs racing so that's why I'm running him back quickly. However, he's drawn out somewhere near Wigan so we're going to need some luck and some skill from the man on top, luckily for us he has plenty.

Charlie Johnston, assistant to Mark Johnston, trainer of Zabeel Champion and The Trader
Zabeel Champion's had a phenomenal season and did very little wrong at Ascot last time. He handles most conditions but his real best form is on fast ground, so we're hoping the rain stays away for him. The Trader's a bit of a hard horse to predict but he was third in this race last year and it's been the target since Epsom.

Thady Gosden, joint-trainer of Grand Bazaar
He was in at Royal Ascot but after the torrential rain we took him out. Hopefully they miss the rain as he's been in good form at home since.

Richard Hannon, trainer of Lost Eden
This horse has got a lot of ability, mark my words, and I would ignore his latest run at Ascot where the ground was much too soft and it was later discovered he was suffering from an irregular heart beat but he's had a full MOT since and is absolutely fine.

Roger Varian, trainer of Valyrian Steel
I think this will present a different test for him than what he's faced at Kempton the last twice, but we're pleased with him and hopefully he'll handle the step up in grade.

Sir Mark Prescott, trainer of Longsider
Longsider is very inexperienced for a big race like this and has a very wide draw to overcome. He may want further in time as we had hoped to run him in the Northumberland Plate but this will tell us a bit more. We could have waited for the 1m6f race at Newmarket next week but we've opted for this as it will be decent ground we hope.
Reporting by Matt Butler

Saturday's big-race previews:

The Saturday Jury: 'He has a very good chance' – jockey Sean Levey on his weekend prospects (Members' Club)

1.50 Sandown: is Arecibo a good thing? Graeme Rodway on what the Ascot sectionals tell us

2.05 Haydock: Dhushan seeking a hat-trick for William Haggas in red-hot three-year-old handicap

2.25 Sandown: Tom Collins on Montatham's chances as he returns to a familar hunting ground

2.40 Haydock: 'I don't think she's ever trained better' – George Boughey on his Oaks runner-up

3.35 Sandown: big-name trainers on their Group 1 contenders in the Coral-Eclipse this Saturday

3.35 Sandown: why this Eclipse could show us a champion – just not the one you might think (Members' Club)

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