Haayimm wins at Musselburgh, targets Newmarket or Glorious Goodwood

Haayimm took the next step from promising handicapper to genuine summer player when he landed the Join Racing TV Now Handicap at Musselburgh, and the shape of the win points straight toward better races over farther trips. The three-year-old backed up his progression with a narrow but decisive success, enough to make Newmarket or Glorious Goodwood the obvious targets from here.

The Edward Bethell-trained colt scored over 1m1f on officially good ground in a nine-runner Class 3, carrying 9st 5lb to beat Dwindling Funds by 0.3 lengths, a neck, at 5/1. Daniel Tudhope delivered the ride as Haayimm travelled strongly in second before finding enough late to withstand the challenge, and the winner collected £12,885 for the effort. The Musselburgh performance also fit the wider pattern around him: this was his second win of the season and his official mark was listed at 95 for the race.

Bethell’s comments after the race were measured but clearly upbeat. He described Haayimm as a lovely horse, said he has been progressive this year, and indicated that the colt needs to go up in trip. The trainer also noted that Haayimm is quite ground-dependent and would prefer softer conditions, a detail that gives his team room to be selective rather than forcing him into the first available race.

That flexibility is exactly what makes the summer route interesting. The horse is entered in a heritage handicap at Newmarket in just under a fortnight, with the National Stud Handicap over 1m2f on 10 July 2026 already on the entries list. Glorious Goodwood at the end of July remains an alternative if the ground turns softer and the handicap looks stronger, and that would suit a colt whose best asset now appears to be his upward curve rather than pure speed at this trip.

Haayimm’s background adds to the case that there is more to come. Timeform lists him as a bay gelding foaled on 19 February 2023, by Gleneagles out of Lady Bond by Fastnet Rock, owned by Sheikh Ahmed Al Maktoum and trained by Bethell. His recent form line, including a Beverley third on 23 September 2025, a Pontefract win on 7 April 2026 and a Hamilton second on 3 May 2026, shows a horse who has kept moving forward every time he has been asked. Musselburgh may have been a handicap win on paper, but it read like a horse edging toward black-type conversation.