Tag Archive for: Havana Hurricane

Hurricane bidding to give Johnson Houghton change of fortune in Super Sprint

/in /by

Havana Hurricane will bid to put an end to Eve Johnson Houghton’s “incredibly unlucky” record in the Weatherbys Super Sprint at Newbury on Saturday.

The Havana Gold colt provided his trainer with a second victory in the Windsor Castle Stakes at Royal Ascot last month, following in the hoofprints of her 2021 winner Chipotle.

The latter was beaten into ninth place as a 15-8 favourite for the Super Sprint, however, and Havana Hurricane could well be even shorter odds for this year’s renewal of the £250,000 contest.

“He is in great form, all he does is eat and sleep at home. We gave him a bit of work on Wednesday morning, he went very nicely and hopefully he is ripped and ready to go,” said Johnson Houghton

“I always thought he had an engine, but I wasn’t sure it was quite as good as the engine he has produced.”

The Didcot handler had the option of saving Havana Hurricane for Pattern events later in the summer, but she admits the lure of the huge prize-money on offer this weekend was too much to resist.

Trainer Eve Johnson Houghton has high hopes for Havana Hurricane
Trainer Eve Johnson Houghton has high hopes for Havana Hurricane (John Walton/PA)

She added: “It’s a lot of money. It’s a race I’ve already wanted to win but I’ve been incredibly unlucky in it. Chipotle got wiped out when I thought he should have won it.

“The unluckiness rather put me off, but I’ve always wanted to win it and I think we have a horse here that if he doesn’t get bad luck, he should be there or thereabouts.

“There are horses in there who are having to give him weight despite being rated inferior, so it’s good conditions for him.”

Rod Millman has saddled two previous Super Sprint winners in Lord Kintyre (1997) and Bettys Hope (2019) and has unearthed another major contender in Anthelia, who has already proved a shrewd purchase for owners Middleham Park Racing, having won her first three starts after being purchased for just £6,000 as a yearling last summer.

Anthelia (left) winning at Sandown
Anthelia (left) winning at Sandown (Adam Davy/PA)

She met with defeat for the first time when fifth in the Listed Empress Stakes at Newmarket three weeks ago, but looks to have every chance back in sales race company.

Millman said: “I thought she ran a sound race at Newmarket, giving them all 3lb.

“Five or six (furlongs) is fine, I think she’s pretty versatile really. She definitely stays six.

“She’s probably the classiest horse we’ve ever run in it and it’s been a very lucky race for us. We’ve won it a couple of times and been second a few times, so let’s hope luck’s on our side again.”

Ali Shuffle (right) on her way to victory at Chester
Ali Shuffle (right) on her way to victory at Chester (Nick Potts/PA)

The Karl Burke-trained Ali Shuffle also won her first three races and was only narrowly denied the four-timer in a Group Three at Chantilly last month.

She was disappointing on her latest visit to France, finishing fifth as a hot favourite for a Listed event at Deauville, but Burke feels she was not at her best that day, saying: “We think she was in season in France, so we’re putting that down as an excuse.

“She’s worked well this week and goes there with some sort of chance, but it’s a bit of a lottery race.

“She’s in good order and it’s worth a go for that sort of money.”

Other hopefuls include Richard Hughes’ Windsor winner Our Cody and Cotai Belle, who has won her last two starts for Richard Fahey.

Super Sprint temptation for Johnson Houghton with Havana Hurricane

/in /by

Eve Johnson Houghton is “slightly leaning” towards the idea of running Windsor Castle winner Hurricane Havana in the Weatherbys Super Sprint Stakes at Newbury on Saturday.

The Havana Gold colt was a smart winner at the Royal meeting, and although he earns himself a 5lb penalty for that Listed success he would still run under a relative feather weight at the weekend.

He was purchased for just 9,000 guineas and as the conditions of the Super Sprint reward cheaply purchased horses, the £250,000 feature looks a tempting option and may prove more so than the Molecomb Stakes alternative also under consideration.

“We’re slightly leaning towards the Super Sprint now, but it hasn’t been confirmed,” said Johnson Houghton.

“He’s doing very well, he came out of Ascot in very good form.

“We had been discussing the Molecomb, but the Super Sprint is tempting and the prize-money is very good.

“He’ll do a bit of work tomorrow and we’ll take it from there.”

Also entered is Rod Millman and Middleham Park Racing’s Anthelia, fifth when beaten two lengths in the Listed Empress Stakes at Newmarket last month and three times a winner prior to that.

Millman said: “I thought she ran quite well at Newmarket last time and all being well the plan is to run on Saturday.

“It’s a competitive race, it always is, and a lot depends on where you’re drawn and who you’re following.

“I wouldn’t want too much rain because she’s got a very low action. We’ve got other horses entered on Saturday that want cut, but she doesn’t.

“There’s 1lb between us and Eve Johnson Houghton’s horse on handicap ratings, because we’re 94 and we’re getting 5lb him, so we’re only 1lb wrong.

“She’s been a very good horse for us so far and hopefully she can continue to be.”

Other horses prominent in the market are Karl Burke’s Ali Shuffle, Richard Hughes’ Our Cody and Richard Fahey’s Cotai Belle.

Johnson Houghton targets Ascot with Woodcote second

/in /by

Royal Ascot beckons for Eve Johnson Houghton’s eyecatching Woodcote runner-up Havana Hurricane.

The Havana Gold colt won on his debut at Goodwood in May and despite missing the break at Epsom, ran on to be beaten just a length and a half by Godolphin’s £720,000 breeze-up buy Maximized.

Royal Ascot now beckons, with the Windsor Castle and Norfolk Stakes possible targets for the shrewdly-bought 9,000 guineas purchase.

“He’s great, he’s been very well and is such a laid-back horse,” said Johnson Houghton.

“Horses don’t know how much they cost, they haven’t got a clue. Once we get them in the yard we don’t really care what they cost either, we treat them all the same.

“He could go for the Windsor Castle or the Norfolk, he’ll be entered in both.

“He’s got bags of pace, clearly, even when he does give the rest of them a head start! A stiff five at Ascot has got to really suit him.”

Havana Hurricane holds an entry for the Weatherbys Super Sprint Stakes at Newbury in mid-July, for which he would carry a relative feather weight as allocations are based on purchase price.

Johnson Houghton added: “He’s in the Super Sprint, we’ll see how Ascot goes of course, but it’s very tasty prize-money for us to look at and I think he’s pretty useful.”