2026 Hedge of Oak Stakes Betting Tips
The Hedge Of Oak Stakes is the first of seven races at Haydock on Saturday, with the runners and riders competing over one mile, two and a half furlongs. There are sixteen horses set to line up and Friendly Soul has racked up a number of successes. The big problem is that the charge has not appeared for nearly 600 days, with the latest effort being a win at Longchamp in October 2024.
There were previously wins at Deauville and Ascot, with a return to this sort of form potentially marking the runner out for greatness. However, with no activity in 2025, it's hard to assess the horse's chances. Sparks Fly has ran twice this term and the David Loughnane-trained runner produced a bright performance at Chester last time out. It was a fourth-placed finish out of nine in the Group 2 Huxley Stakes.
Noche Clasica stands out at a backable each-way price. The four-year-old runs for Edward Bethell, with the latest run being at Musselburgh Racecourse in April. The 7/2 shot won at the Scottish track by two and a half lengths, with that coming over a mile and a furlong. That was after an October triumph at Redcar where the 3/1 favourite was able to get up.
The horse was previously trained by James Owen and there was a 16/1 success at Chester a year ago when obliging in a maiden fillies' stakes race. Then came a mile triumph at Goodwood where the 7/4 shot was able to score by three lengths. With such a winning habit being established, we're happy to take an each-way punt on the horse here.