I’ll be riding Diamondonthehill for the first time here in the opening race at Haydock, so he’s not a horse I know an awful lot about. He’s a 6-y-o who’s going to be running off a career-high mark, so it certainly won’t be easy for him, but he seems to be running consistently well this year, so there’s a chance there could be even more improvement to come from him.

There are a few nice unexposed types in here, so it looks a competitive little race, but if Diamondonthehill holds his form, then he should be capable of being involved at the business end once again.

Amancio is a very straightforward horse, and he’s another who’s just been running consistently well all year. He’s been nudged up another pound for his excellent second at Epsom last time, but he’s run well off this sort of mark on a few occasions, so I doubt that it will be beyond him.

He’s a horse who needs things to fall right for him, but as long as the race is run to suit, then I think he could definitely return to winning ways at Haydock this weekend.

Caernarfon goes in the Dick Hern Stakes here, and although it won’t be easy giving weight away to the three-year-olds, she was third in an Oaks last year, so she is certainly one of the classiest fillies in the race. She won in this grade at Pontefract two starts ago, then she certainly didn’t disgrace herself back in Group 3 company at The Curragh last time, so she should appreciate dropping back into this grade again.

The ground at Haydock could end up being the quickest she’s encountered for a little while, but I think she’s a very versatile filly, so I don’t think that will bother her, and I think she’s capable of running a big race.

Mereside Madness is another horse I’ll be riding for the first time, so I don’t know an awful lot about him, but he looks quite a straightforward type, so I’m looking forward to the ride. He was looking very progressive up until he stepped up in grade at York last time, and maybe that just caught him out, but he’s back down into a class 5 now, and he went very close off 1lb lower two starts ago, so I’m sure he’s capable of winning races off this mark.

It would be a slight concern that he’s done his winning on the all-weather, but he’s run enough good races on grass to suggest he can win on it, so hopefully he can translate that winning form to the turf.