Doyle and Haggas land double at Lingfield

Victory Bond and James Doyle win the Easter Classic at Lingfield.Victory Bond and James Doyle win the Easter Classic at Lingfield.
Victory Bond and James Doyle win the Easter Classic at Lingfield.
JOCKEY James Doyle and trainer William Haggas burgeoning alliance continued with a big race double at Lingfield's All Weather Championships.

They teamed up to take the feature Easter Classic with Victory Bond after Diagnostic took the earlier Fillies and Mares Final on the rain-sodden card.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

And the triumphs came less than a week after Addeybb’s runaway victory in the Lincoln handicap at Doncaster.

Though Doyle is still retained by Sheikh Mohammed’s Godolphin operation, it remains baffling that Saeed bin Suroor, one of the Dubai ruler’s trainers, doesn’t appear to the rate the rider.

That can only be to the benefit of Skipton-born Haggas after Victory Bond showed his class in this 10 furlong contest. Doyle said: “I think that was a career-best. We’re just learning a bit about him, that was pretty good and he showed what he could do

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“William’s horses are in fantastic shape and this was his main target for the winter.”

As for Diagnostic’s earlier success, Doyle paid tribute to the stalls handlers. “She had been missing the break in her races which was not helping her chances, but the stalls handlers did a great job with her today,” he reported. “Gary Witheford was down at the stalls with her today and he stood up in the gates with me, so she was nice and alert.”