Dunlop looks for give.

John Dunlop is keeping his fingers crossed that conditions stay on the soft side at Haydock Park for his twin-pronged attack on today's Lancashire Oaks with Time Ahead and Santa Sophia.

Time Ahead is expected to start favourite for the Group Three contest, sponsored by bet365, having finished second in the French Oaks at Chantilly on her latest outing.

Santa Sophia ran respectably to finish seventh in the Vodafone Oaks after being supplemented into the Epsom Classic. Dunlop's secretary Marcus Hosgood said: "Both fillies would ideally prefer some cut in the ground and for that reason we hope the going doesn't dry up too much."

The all-aged race will provide Pat Eddery, who partners Time Ahead, with one of his last opportunities of landing a major prize before he retires at the end of the year.

And it will be no surprise to see a big crowd latch on to his mount in the hope of an emotional victory.