Haydock 5:23 Result

Velvet Whisper carries top weight on merit (OR70) but the form is strong - won last time out from a similar mark and has since been running well in defeat (86,63 finishes suggest tailing off in better company perhaps, but the "1" earlier this campaign shows she has genuine class for this level). At just 4yo, fillies by Calyx with a middle-distance dam-line (High Chaparral damsire) look bred to progress over further, and stepping up in trip to 1m6f with an in-form Edward Bethell yard (excellent strike rate with lightly-raced sorts) and a solid book from Hector Crouch is a strong angle. The draw in 13 is wide but at Haydock over this trip it shouldn't be a major hindrance with a likely steady pace allowing her to be positioned. Main market rivals like Ottoman have won well recently but are dropping/stepping in company and unproven that their recent scintillating form translates to this level of opposition; Percy Jones and Marbuzet carry big weights and are more exposed. Velvet Whisper looks the one with true upside untapped, fitting the profile of a "wins again" type rather than one just there to make up the numbers. She looks the most solid, rounded contender in a competitive but not top-class field, and represents a fair betting proposition among the second-favourite or joint-top-rated in the market.