Horse Racing: Haafhd leapt to prominence in the UltimateBet.com 2000 Guineas betting with an all-the-way victory in the bet365 Craven Stakes at Newmarket yesterday.

The Barry Hills-trained colt ended his juvenile campaign on a slightly disappointing note, finishing only third here and at Doncaster when fancied to do better.

But Haafhd (10 to 3) showed his true colours this time as he galloped away from his rivals to win by five lengths. Three Valleys was sent off the 2 to 1 market leader and took a fearsome hold leaving the stalls before eventually consenting to settle for Richard Hughes as Richard Hills bounced his mount out of the stalls and slowly wound it up from the front.

Three Valleys took closer order from halfway and briefly looked a danger. But suddenly, at the two-furlong pole, an injection of acceleration from Haafhd put the result beyond doubt and he lengthened impressively up the hill. It was a fine tactical ride from Hills, who compared the winning colt to his dam, Irish 1,000 Guineas heroine Al Bahathri.

"He certainly reminds me of her in the way he kept picking up for me," he said. "It was a trial and I wanted to test him today. I gave him a little dig just to pick up and it would have taken a very good horse to catch him. If something had gone on, then fine, but I had a pace in my own mind that I wanted to set and I was either going to do it myself or someone would do it for me.

"He has beaten good horses today. He has made that progress from two to three and he has definitely passed his first test. He will come on from this over the next three weeks and I think he'll have a very good chance in the Guineas."

The winning trainer went even further in his praise of the successful colt, who is as short as 5 to 1 to take the Classic on May 1st. "He is as good as I have had over this distance," Hills said. "He is entered in the Derby but we will get the Guineas out of the way first and then maybe look at the Curragh."

The Tote are longest-priced at 7 to 1 about Haafhd at present, but that may not last long, with Victor Chandler briefly offering a point longer after the race before being forced to cut his price to 6 to 1.

Teddy Grimthorpe, racing manager to Three Valleys' owner Khalid Abdullah, offered "no excuses". "He was staying on towards the end, but the winner kept on very well. We'll now have to think about the Guineas, take him home and see what Prince Khalid wants to do," he said.

Trainer Roger Charlton was unable to hide his disappointment with the performance of a colt who he has long held in such high regard. He shrugged: "I imagine he will still go for the Guineas. But he's not going to win it on that form, is he?"

High-class hurdler Solerina kept her unbeaten record on the Flat with an emphatic victory in the John Harney Bookmaker (QR) Race for amateur riders at Tipperary last night. The Bowe family's seven-year-old mare was taken straight into the lead by Nina Carberry, sister of leading jockey Paul, and was never troubled as she led all the way.

She will now for the Punchestown Festival in a fortnight's time, when she could tackle the Emo Oil Champion Hurdle.