Lancashire Oaks at Haydock Park 2024

The first Saturday in July sees Haydock Park stage their ever-popular Lancashire Oaks, a Group 2 race over just short of 1½ miles for the fillies and mares.

While the Oaks itself at Epsom, a Classic, and the Cheshire Oaks are for the three-year-old generation, this, along with the Yorkshire Oaks, gives the older females a chance at some similar glory.

At around £100,000, the prize money for this race is huge and, given that winning or being placed in Group races is massive for a mare’s future breeding value, the race is held in very high regard and as such, it has been won by some smart types trained in turn by some of the game’s biggest names.

Modern legend John Gosden has undoubtedly paid this race the most respect and has won it with fine fillies Playful Act, Great Heavens, and Enbihaar for a total of eight wins overall while Sir Michael Stoute and Henry Cecil have also done very well.