William Hill Lingfield Derby Trial Stakes |
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| Listed, Lingfield 13:58 £60,000 guaranteed, 3yo only, 1m 4f, Class 1  |
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1 Maltese Cross 9/4
2
Bay Of Brilliance 15/2
3
Balzac 22/1
6 ran Distances: nk, 6½l, ¾l
Time: 2m 29.22s (slow by 2.72s)
A thrilling finish to the William Hill Lingfield Derby Trial! 🤩
— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) May 9, 2026
Maltese Cross fends off the rallying Bay Of Brilliance in a cracker at @LingfieldPark...@WilliamHaggas | @TomMarquand pic.twitter.com/h1xxhFF8x0
Maltese Cross strengthened his Betfred Derby credentials after edging out Bay Of Brilliance in a thrilling finish.
William Haggas’ son of Sea The Stars arrived at Lingfield on the back of a novice success at Newbury last month and stepped up smoothly into Listed company.
Tom Marquand was content to sit behind the pace set by Andrew Balding’s A Taste Of Glory through the early stages, but as the race developed, Maltese Cross and Ralph Beckett’s Bay Of Brilliance moved clear of the field.
The pair fought out a gripping duel inside the final furlong, with the 9-4 winner finding a little extra close home to prevail by a neck and earn quotes of 14-1 from 20-1 for the Derby with sponsors Betfred.
Haggas, who won the Derby with Shaamit 30 years ago, said: “I haven’t seen it back fully as I was down at the start, but he was very tenacious and Tom was very pleased and said he had improved from Newbury.
“He’s winning his races, which is great, and I think we head to Epsom. As long as the horse is fit and well and everything seems fine, why wouldn’t we?
“When you run in a trial, the Derby is the aim and nobody really knows which trial is best until after the Derby itself.
“I don’t think we have anything to lose by going to Epsom – it’s the Derby. One thing I do think is that he’ll stay, whether he’ll stay quickly enough is another matter, but I do think he’ll see out the trip.”
Charlie Appleby’s 11-8 favourite Maho Bay was unable to make an impact and finished a well-beaten fourth of the six runners.
Derby Trial Stakes (Listed)
£60,000 guaranteed, 3yo only, 1m 4f, Class 1
6 ran
Going: Good to Firm, Good in places
