2025 Hedge Of Oak Stakes Betting Odds at Haydock Park racecourse

Saturday, 24 May 2025

There will be a maximum of seventeen horses battling it out over one mile, two and a half furlongs this weekend. Haydock Park hosts the Hedge Of Oak Stakes, with Running Lion having emerged as the market leader. The John & Thady Gosden-trained charge has solid credentials although there could be better each-way value to be found elsewhere.

Diamond Rain returns for a new campaign after twice being in the winners’ enclosure last term. The four-year-old runs for Charlie Appleby and has solid claims. Estrange also scooped a couple of successes for David O’Meara, with Tasmania and Morrophore also on the shortlist. There could also be a shout for Secret Satire and Ambiente Amigo.

2025 Hedge Of Oak Stakes Betting Tips

Running Lion operates for John & Thady Gosden and the five-year-old needs to bounce back from finishing last in a recent outing. Sent off at odds of 3/1 in the Betfred Dahlia Stakes, the runner failed to make an impression. That was over one mile and one length and came after a smart effort at Longchamp. On that occasion, the horse was a surprising second.

Having been sent off at odds of 23/1 in the France encounter, less than a length separated the horse from winner Friendly Soul in the Prix de l’Opera Longines. Bearing in mind this was a Group 1 encounter, there could be more to come from the horse here. However, the horse had previously finished dead last at Newmarket and can’t always be trusted.

Diamond Rain got a couple of wins under his belt last term, with the Charlie Appleby-trained runner finishing fourth out of eleven runners at Doncaster in a previous showing. The runner struggled at last year’s Royal Ascot meeting when finishing last in the Ribblesdale Stakes. However, she was previously successful at Ascot and Newbury.

Estrange is also not without a chance and the latest effort was a victory at Doncaster. Sent off at odds of 7/2, the runner obliged by nearly two lengths and there was also a success at Goodwood back in August. In between those efforts was a midfield finish at Yarmouth, with Tasmania also having the potential to go well for Sir Mark Prescott.