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Royale Pagaille will return to his beloved Haydock Park for a record-breaking third attempt in Saturday’s Peter Marsh Handicap Chase.
The ten-year-old delighted connections with a first Grade 1 success in the Betfair Chase in November and missed a subsequent engagement in the King George VI Chase due to a minor setback. With four wins from five starts at Haydock, the team behind Royale Pagaille is hopeful he can add a third Peter Marsh prize, having landed the contest in 2021 and 2022.
"I've not sat on him since the last day I rode him, but every day from what I see on the gallops he looks good and well. I'm looking forward to getting back on board him again," said regular rider Charlie Deutsch.
"You would have to be optimistic about his chances if the meeting is on as we know he likes the track and hopefully he is in the same form as he was in the Betfair Chase.
"This will still be a test and take a bit of winning so he needs to be in good form as he is going to be giving a lot of weight away.
"I'd be very surprised at his age if he gets better again, but although it is easy to say now, he has won his Grade 1, but on Betfair Chase Day he definitely felt at his best.
"It would be great if he could win this for a third time, and it would be a similar performance to his one in the Betfair Chase as it takes a very good horse to carry that sort of weight to victory."
Whilst Royale Pagaille boasts a fair record elsewhere, the layout of Haydock Park appears to play to his strengths.
"Haydock is quite a straightforward course with the two long straights, and he has a very high cruising speed which suits it," Deutsch explains.
"He likes going in straight lines as opposed to undulations and going around lots of corners and bends. He can keep up that cruising speed for a long way which many other horses can't.
"He beats the other horses with that relentless gallop and that appears to work very well at Haydock."