Dramatised (4-1 favourite) scorched to a superb sprint victory in the Betfred Temple Stakes at a sun-drenched Haydock Park.
Karl Burke’s three-year-old filly took the Group Two feature at the Merseyside track and booked her ticket to the King’s Stand Stakes at next month’s Royal Ascot, for which she is now a best-priced 8-1 with Coral. The three-year-old daughter of Showcasing won the Group Two Queen Mary Stakes at last year's Royal Ascot and ended her juvenile campaign with a fine second in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint at Keeneland in November on just her fourth start. And on her seasonal return, under jockey and Liverpool FC fan William Buick, Dramatised landed a second Group Two success and she will now have a crack at the top level again starting at Royal Ascot, before taking in the Nunthorpe Stakes at York in August as well as a potential return trip to America for the Breeders' Cup at the end of the year. Buick had Dramatised sat just off the blistering pace set by Live In The Dream (7-1) on the nearside rail. And when asked to move through, she smoothly challenged the leader and in the final furlong of the five-furlong sprint she got on top to score by a length from the fast finishing Equilateral (20-1), under Frankie Dettori. Live In The Dream was a further half-a-length back in third.
North Yorkshire-based trainer and fellow Liverpool FC fan Burke said: "I think the rail was an advantage on the day, we knew Live In The Dream was going to go forward and we were just going to tag onto him. I told William to try and keep as close to the rail as he could and he rode his luck a little bit, but there was just enough room to force his way through there. It was always the plan to start her off here, unless it was very heavy ground, and the plan now is to go for the King's Stand at Royal Ascot, then to York for the Nunthorpe and then back to America (Breeders' Cup) hopefully."
He added: "She's always had plenty of speed and it's been about keeping her lid on her, but she's a lot more mature this year. A trip to the Breeders' Cup made her grow up. William has never sat on her before, but he said she was a little bit rusty and took a hundred yards to kick into top gear. We haven't drilled her at home and I'm sure she'll sharpen up from today.
"She deserves her shot at Group Ones and hopefully we can nick one. The owner (Steve Parkin of Clipper Logistics) is in Monaco for Grand Prix. He didn't need to go over there to see a Formula One, did he?"
