Haafhd ready for Palace showdown

Connections of 2000 Guineas winner Haafhd are looking forward to the St James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot and a showdown with Bachelor Duke, winner of the Irish equivalent.

Following Haafhd’s triumph in the UltimateBet.com-sponsored Classic at Newmarket, his trainer Barry Hills had him ready for a trip to Ireland, but owner Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum decided to hold fire for the Royal meeting.