William Hill March Stakes: Hoo Ya Mal claims routine win

Sent off at 3/10 against only three rivals, the Derby runner-up tracked leader Perfect Alibi until the two furlong marker at which point William Buick asked him to settle matters.

He did so in a matter of strides, pushed out to the line to score by two-and-a-half lengths.

Betfair and Paddy Power left the winner unchanged at 8/1 for the Doncaster Classic and introduced him at 16/1 for the Melbourne Cup.

Hoo Ya Mal, who is due to join the training team of Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott later in the year ahead of a potential tilt at the Melbourne Cup, is currently trained by George Boughey who told ITV Racing: “The thing we learned was he was stepping up to 14 furlongs which slightly defies his pedigree.

“William just said there to me he’s a horse who doesn’t feel like he’ll stay – but then he does stay. He has that class edge. On ratings he was expected to win and he didn’t do a huge amount today.

“I just wanted to see him relax and hit the line. It was softer ground and a trip he’d never run over today but William was delighted and it’s good to have ticked a box.

“We’ll let the dust settle. It’s pretty late at night or early in the morning in Australia and I’ll speak to Gai and Adrian on the way home. They’re in charge. The Leger is the logical race for him and he’s a pleasure to have at home.”

More from Sporting Life

• Racecards
• Fast results
• Full results and free video replays
• Horse racing news
• Horse racing tips
• Horse racing features
• Download our free iOS and Android app
• Football and other sports tips
• Podcasts and video content

Safer gambling

We are committed in our support of safer gambling. Recommended bets are advised to over-18s and we strongly encourage readers to wager only what they can afford to lose.

If you are concerned about your gambling, please call the National Gambling Helpline / GamCare on 0808 8020 133.

Further support and information can be found at begambleaware.org and gamblingtherapy.org.