Nunthorpe heroine Winter Power looking to launch her campaign in style in the Cazoo Temple Stakes at Haydock

Tim Easterby’s Great Habton-trained flying filly won three times over the straight five furlongs at York last summer, completing the hat-trick with a blistering display in Group One company in high summer.

She subsequently failed to fire in Ireland and also disappointed in a Prix de l’Abbaye run on bottomless ground in October.

With rain forecast on Merseyside conditions are likely to be on the soft side again for Winter Power’s four-year-old debut, but connections are optimistic about her chances.

Alastair Donald, racing manager for owners King Power Racing, said: “She ran on soft ground in the Abbaye, but I think we can forgive that run and as a two-year-old she won three times on soft, so we’re not too worried about the ground.

“She’s a very quick filly and it’s almost about reining in the speed sometimes - a few times she’s ran with the choke out a little bit.

“But I think in the slower ground it might just be able to keep her in a good rhythm early on, rather than going too quick.

“Tim is very pleased with her and says she’s bigger and stronger now, so fingers crossed we can look forward to getting her back to her best.”

Leyburn’s Karl Burke has declared a trio of runners in Last Crusader, White Lavender and Attagirl.

Last Crusader appears the trainer’s main hope following an impressive display in the Westow Stakes at York last week, but his participation is ground dependent.

“We’re running him back a little bit quick after York, but there are not a lot of options over five furlongs for him in Group races, so as long as the ground doesn’t go on the slow side of good, and it does seem to be drying out there (Haydock), we’ll send him. If any rain came he could be a late scratch, but I think we’ll be going with him,” said Burke.

“I think he’s a high-class horse and a horse that has a great future and we’re not running for the sake of it, we’re running because there’s a lack of opportunities at five furlongs. He’s a lovely horse for the future and I’m sure he’ll be winning Group races later.”

Trainer Michael Dods is hoping Dakota Gold can land a course record seventh triumph at York when he tackles the Sky Bet Sunday Series Sprint Handicap.

The evergreen eight-year-old notched his sixth success on the Knavesmire in the Churchill Tyres Handicap on May 11. It matched the tally of course wins registered by Easterby’s Copper Knight – who runs at York today – and was also equalled by star stayer Stradivarius, with regular jockey Connor Beasley looking for his seventh York win on Dods’s horse, too.

Dakota Gold’s talent and heart were evident once again in his last race when he just held the late thrust of Makanah to prevail by a head in the hands of Connor Beasley, who has been aboard for all six of the gelding’s York victories.

Owned by Doug Graham, Ian Davison and Alan Drysdale, he has won over £400,000 in prize money – much of it earned at his favourite track.

Dods, who trains at Piercebridge near Darlington, said: “He loves York, which is basically why he keeps coming there. The way the track is suits his way of running.

“Saying that, it’s still difficult for a horse to win anywhere and to win six at one of the top tracks in the country is unbelievable – long may he keep doing it.

“He just seems to come alive when he’s at York, so when there’s races available for him, we’ll run in them.

“He doesn’t know when to lie down. He looked like he was going to get headed last week and he wouldn’t allow it. He eyeballed them, kept going and dug very, very deep.”

“It’s not all been plain sailing with him from his two-year-old career – he’s had the issue with the starting-stalls and broken out when he’s been in a long time. There’s been a lot of work gone into the horse with Gary Witheford and Craig Witheford – they teamed up and helped.

“Then, of course, Carole my wife loads him in his races. It’s just a whole team effort from everybody to be fair.”

Dakota Gold must carry top weight in this tomorrow’s six-furlong contest, which has a total prize fund of £50,000. But Dods is more than happy to let the horse take his chance – along with stable-mate Pendleton – in a 22-runner field.

Dods added: “He only ran last week, he’s fit. Our main thing is to make sure he’s healthy and moving well – which he is – and let him go to the races and gallop, rather than doing too much at home with him. He gets turned out every day which he loves.

“He’s not the biggest horse in the world and he’s got to carry 10st. But as I said to the owners, we just want to go there and him run well and enjoy it. We don’t expect him to go to the races and be winning every time he runs.”

Dods’ other representative Pendleton also has valid claims. He was third behind Dakota Gold, beaten only three-parts of a length, last time out.