Eric Alston believes Reverence has strong claims in Saturday's betfred.com Temple Stakes granted suitable conditions at Haydock.

The Preston trainer is praying for rain by the weekend for his stable star, who bounced back to form with victory at the Merseyside track earlier this month.

That win ended a lean spell for the seven-year-old stretching

back to the Group One Betfred Sprint Cup, also at Haydock, in September 2006.

"If the ground was firm then he probably wouldn't run but at the moment the intention is to run. He's in great order," said Alston.

"I thought he ran well at Newmarket in his previous race. He was only beaten four lengths by Captain Gerrard in the Palace House Stakes and we just held him up a bit there.

"If the ground was soft he'd have every chance.

"He does want soft ground now, there's no doubt about that," Alston told Racing UK.

(reopens) Sir Gerry is also an intended runner, ground permitting.

"Sir Gerry runs in the Temple on Saturday, as long as the ground is safe and not firm," said owner Gerry Galligan.

It will be the first time the three-year-old, trained by James Fanshawe, has tackled the minimum trip but connections believe he has the necessary speed to be competitive.

"I see no reason why five furlongs will be a problem because he shows brilliant speed at home," Galligan added.

"We thought about sending him to the Curragh for the Group Three (Greenlands Stakes), but with the ground riding firmer there than at Haydock, we just didn't want to risk a long journey for him and find the rain might not come as predicted.

"The Temple is shaping like the best race of the season so far, with the three-year-old colts and fillies taking on the older horses."

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