Tag Archive for: Sprint Cup

Plenty of opposition for Inisherin in Sprint Cup field

/in /by

Inisherin heads a bumper list of 22 horses in contention for Saturday’s Betfair Sprint Cup at Haydock.

The three-year-old won the Sandy Lane Stakes over the six-furlong course back in May and went on to land the Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot in fine style.

However, Kevin Ryan’s charge has been off the track since suffering defeat as favourite for the July Cup.

Karl Burke’s Swingalong finished second to winner Mill Stream on the July course and she is in line to confirm that form at the weekend, having finished fourth on Merseyside last year.

Swingalong finished second in the July Cup last time out
Swingalong finished second in the July Cup last time out (Nigel French/PA)

Philip Robinson, assistant racing manager for owner Sheikh Juma Dalmook Al Maktoum, said: “All is going well and it has been the plan for a while since she ran at Newmarket.

“She was beaten about a length and a half last year and I think she is at least two lengths better this year, so hopefully she will be thereabouts.

“It’s the perfect race for her and one that has been on the cards for a long while.”

Burke has two other strings to his bow in recent French winner Spycatcher and Elite Status, who like Inisherin is owned by Sheikh Mohammed Obaid.

Lake Forest missed out at York
Lake Forest missed out at York (Simon Marper/PA)

William Haggas is another trainer with a trio to choose from in Lake Forest, who was a late withdrawal at York’s Ebor Festival after getting upset in the stalls, Chipchase Stakes winner Montassib and Unequal Love.

The Andrew Balding-trained Flora Of Bermuda was supplemented for the race on Monday at a cost of £20,000, with other leading contenders including Kinross, Jasour, Givemethebeatboys and the admirable Shouldvebeenaring who was beaten just a neck in second place 12 months ago.

Regional, the 2023 race winner, was not confirmed to defend his title for Ed Bethell.

Sprint Cup hero Regional puts Ed Bethell in wonderland

/in /by

Trainer Ed Bethell was left fighting back the tears after Regional provided him with a first Group One success in the Betfair Sprint Cup at Haydock.

It is less than three years since the Middleham Moor handler took over the licence from his father James, who trained for over four decades before handing over the reins.

Regional has proved a real flagbearer since being bought for the bargain basement price of 3,5000 guineas in the summer of 2021, rewarding his connections with three previous wins, two of which have been achieved at Haydock.

Having landed the Listed Achilles Stakes at the Merseyside venue in June, the five-year-old got his first crack at Group One glory in the Nunthorpe at York last month and was not disgraced in finishing fifth, encouraging Bethell to give it another go over an extra furlong.

A 10-1 shot in the hands of Callum Rodriguez, Regional was never too far off the speed and dug deep as the post loomed to see off 50-1 outsider Shouldvebeenaring by a neck.

“I’m just over the moon. I’m in an incredibly fortunate position, to take over from my father, and my parents have been big supporters of mine,” said a clearly emotional Bethell.

“I never thought it would happen (winning a Group One). A huge ‘thank you’ has to go to Barbara Jones, who rides this horse every day – she doesn’t go on holiday because she wants to make sure he’s in tip-top form. She’s the important one here, along with the rest of my team at home. I’m just the lucky one to have my name on the ticket.

“We bought this horse just to win a race and he’s taken these guys (owners) on a tremendous ride. This meteoric rise is down to the team at home and we’ve just been incredibly fortunate.”

Regional (left) on his way to victory at Haydock
Regional (left) on his way to victory at Haydock (Tim Goode/PA)

Bethell felt the step up in trip was key to Regional’s performance, adding: “He was able to travel in his comfort zone, which he wasn’t in the Nunthorpe. The whole complexion of the race changed at York with Live In The Dream going so quick and fair play to him, but we were rushed off our feet.

“Today we were so much more comfortable at this trip at this level. I thought maybe he’d gone too quick and he’d get swallowed up, but he was one of the last to come off the bridle. I can’t believe it really.”

The trainer is keen to let the dust settle before firming up plans for his stable star.

He said: “I’ll enjoy today and tonight and get back to it tomorrow morning.

“I don’t know where we’ll go next, the owners might want to go to America, but I’ll just see how the horse is first and make a decision.

“Genuinely, I don’t think words can describe how I’m feeling. I told myself if we finish in the first five we’ve done well.

“When we won a handicap over six furlongs here two years ago I couldn’t believe it. I thought ‘I’ve done my job now, he’s won a race, maybe the owners will stick with me’.

“Did I ever think he could go and do this? No. These sort of days I hope will go a long way to helping the yard achieve what I want it to.”

Rodriguez – also winning his first Group One – said: “It was an amazing performance by the horse and what a story it’s been with him this year, being picked up for 3,500 guineas. The journey he has taken his syndicate on is just amazing. It was very smooth as he hit the gates very well and was in a good rhythm all the way and every time I asked him he responded.

“It was a great feeling. It is very fitting this has happened here as this is my local track from where I grew up 40 minutes down the road. It is just an amazing day.”

Rodriguez has worked his way back to the top after serving a six-month suspension in 2019, having tested positive for cocaine. He added: “I really hit the ground running as an apprentice and landed the Ebor and some other nice races along the way.

“It has been a little bit stop-start and you kind of ask yourself if you are going to find the one. I’ve been so lucky to find Regional this year. It is an amazing story and I’m thankful it has come off.

“I’ve a lot to thank Ed for. I stepped into the yard in January to ride out and get to know the horses.

“There is a real strong team of horses there and he is a real loyal man, and we work really well together and I’m happy with the way things are going.”

The disappointment of the race was undoubtedly Julie Camacho’s Shaquille, who was the 11-10 favourite to complete a top-level hat-trick following wins in the Commonwealth Cup and the July Cup.

Shaquille failed to fire in the Sprint Cup
Shaquille failed to fire in the Sprint Cup (David Davies/The Jockey Club)

But while the three-year-old – who got upset beforehand – was much quicker away from the starting stalls than had been the case at Royal Ascot and Newmarket, he was a spent force with a couple of furlongs to run and ended up trailing home last of 16 runners.

“Everything was fine, he had a bit of a wobbler before the gates opened (but) it didn’t affect his start and he jumped very clean,” said jockey James Doyle.

“He travelled super, but between the three and the two I had no power and I was beat very quick.

“As we know that’s not him as one thing he does do is get through the line, so we’ll see. They’re not machines, are they?

“The season is not over yet, we’ve got Champions Day to come and other races and we’ll see what comes to light. We’ll just regroup at this stage.”

The stewards inquired into the performance of the market leader, stating afterwards the representative of Camacho could offer no explanation for the colt’s performance and that the veterinary officer examined Shaquille during routine testing and had nothing to report.

Regional makes national headlines in Betfair Sprint Cup

/in /by

Regional provided trainer Ed Bethell and jockey Callum Rodriguez with the first Group One success of their careers in the Betfair Sprint Cup at Haydock, in which hot favourite Shaquille finished last.

Shaquille had missed the break in both the Commonwealth Cup and July Cup before storming home to win, did not look happy before the race.

He had tried to unship James Doyle on the way to the start and then did not want to go in the stalls until Doyle jumped off.

He did break on terms on this occasion and soon found himself in front, at which point connections would have been delighted, but with two furlongs to run Shaquille had no more to give and Doyle looked after him.

Regional (10-1), who had been making his name over five furlongs and needed to prove he could beat the best over six, faced a strong challenge from 50-1 outsider Shouldvebeenaring but held on by a neck, with the supplemented Believing back in third.

Shaquille heads for Sprint Cup after perfect preparation

/in /by

Connections of Shaquille feel the popular colt’s preparation could not have gone any better ahead of his bid for a third successive Group One victory in the Betfair Sprint Cup at Haydock.

Julie Camacho’s stable star has enjoyed a meteoric rise through the sprinting ranks, with a handicap win at Newmarket and a Listed success at Newbury followed by back-to-back wins at the highest level.

What makes the Shaquille story all the more intriguing is the fact that in both the Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot and the July Cup at Newmarket he badly missed the break, only to stage two remarkable recoveries to reel in his rivals and in the end win comfortably.

With a recent session with starting stalls specialists Craig and Jake Witherford having gone smoothly, Camacho’s husband and assistant Steve Brown is hopeful he will jump off on terms on Merseyside.

He said: “The build-up for him has been smooth and we obviously did some stalls work with him a couple of weeks ago with Craig and Jake, and James (Doyle, jockey) came along.

“He’s a very straightforward horse at home, he doesn’t cause us any problems and his work has been to its usual standard, I would say. It’s been what we expected really.

“He looks really fit and well and everything has gone to plan. We planned four good bits of work, which he’s done, and we haven’t missed a day with him – I don’t think we can have any gripes about his preparation at all.

“He seems adaptable on different tracks. I suppose the nearest thing to Haydock we’ve had so far is probably Newbury and everything there went according to plan, so we hope for the same on Saturday.”

Trainer Julie Camacho following Shaquille's July Cup success
Trainer Julie Camacho following Shaquille’s July Cup success (David Davies/The Jockey Club)

While Brown’s heart is likely to be racing after Shaquille is loaded into the stalls ahead of his latest attempt at top-level success, he is doing his best to keep cool in the meantime.

He added: “There’s plenty happening before Saturday and every horse is of the same importance and value, so you’ve just got to go about your business as normal and then when the time comes you just have to hope everything goes smoothly and he puts in a good performance, which we know he’s capable of.

“You’d rather we had a conventional situation, but we haven’t in his last two races. We’ve acknowledged that we had a problem, we’ve tried to do something about it, we’re pleased with what happened at home and we hope to see that on the track on the day.”

Karl Burke’s Spycatcher and the George Boughey-trained Believing have both been declared to carry the colours of Highclere Thoroughbred Racing, although the former is unlikely to run unless the rain arrives.

Having won two Listed races and a Group Three this season, Believing was supplemented at a cost of £20,000 on Monday, with her connections happy to roll the dice.

“She’s very versatile and she’s very quick. It looks like it’s going to be quick ground and she is fast,” said Highclere’s managing director Harry Herbert.

“We wouldn’t necessarily have considered this race at the first entry stage, but with the way she is now and the way she’s improving, we were keen to give it a go.

“It was a lot of money for the shareholders to shell out (to supplement), but she’s earned plenty of prize-money, her value is significant and we felt that with nothing else obvious to have a pop at, we should have a go.

“It will be very exciting to see how she gets on.”

Jamie Spencer and Khaadem after winning at Royal Ascot
Jamie Spencer and Khaadem after winning at Royal Ascot (John Walton/PA)

A competitive field also includes the first and second from the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes in Khaadem and Sacred.

The Charlie Hills-trained Khaadem was a shock 80-1 winner at the Royal meeting and has since finished out of the places in the July Cup and the Nunthorpe at York, but Hills is looking forward to seeing him return to six furlongs on fast ground.

He said: “He looks tremendous and great in himself and with all those sprints you just need a bit of luck, but I think the ground will suit him really well.”

Other hopefuls include Archie Watson’s Wokingham winner Saint Lawrence, the Ralph Beckett-trained Lezoo, Henry Candy’s July Cup runner-up Run To Freedom and Regional from Ed Bethell’s yard.

Regional (centre) has already won at Haydock twice
Regional (centre) has already won at Haydock twice (Nigel French/PA)

The latter came up a little short when fifth in the Nunthorpe last month, but is two from two at Haydock and his trainer is excited to be stepping back up in trip from five to six furlongs.

He said: “We’re looking forward to having a crack at it. It’s a full field and a wide-open race.

“It’ll be a tough race and any one of them could win it. If Shaquille turns up, I’d say we’re all playing for a place, but outside of him we’re all there with a big chance of finishing in the money.”

Believing and Mill Stream add spice to Sprint Cup mix

/in /by

Believing and Mill Stream have been supplemented to take on Shaquille in the Betfair Sprint Cup at Haydock on Saturday.

A total of 23 speedsters are in contention for the six-furlong Group One, with the Julie Camacho-trained Shaquille very much the star attraction as he looks to add to his previous top-level wins this summer in the Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot and the July Cup at Newmarket.

The George Boughey-trained Believing and Jane Chapple-Hyam’s Mill Stream are two interesting contenders after their respective connections paid the £20,000 required to add them to the field.

Believing has won two Listed races and a Group Three this season and is one of two potential runners for the Highclere Thoroughbred Racing team along with Karl Burke’s Spycatcher, who was beaten a short head by King Gold in the Prix Maurice de Gheest at Deauville last month.

However, the latter appears unlikely to make the trip to Merseyside.

Harry Herbert, Highclere’s managing director, said: “Believing was impressive winning last time and the way she has been since leads George to think she’s improving rapidly.

“Certainly looking at her physically that is exactly what she’s doing, so we looked at all the options for her and felt this was an opportunity to have a crack at a Group One race.

“With ground conditions quickening up it’s possible the field will reduce, but it’s more the way she’s coming into the race and the opinion the trainer has of her.

“She’s very smart and with a filly like this that’s improving, the shareholders were keen to give it a go and it’s very exciting.”

Spycatcher (Spycatcher (blue) is unlikely to run in the Sprint Cup ) has the Sprint Cup as his aim
Spycatcher (blue) is unlikely to run in the Sprint Cup (David Davies/PA)

Of Spycatcher, Herbert added: “He’s in great form the horse, but we definitely wouldn’t risk him on quick ground.

“This has been the target for a while now, but it’s highly unlikely that he’ll run looking at the forecast. You never know, if a thunderstorm hits or something happens before declaration time then we may reconsider, but we need to protect him.

“He’s in at Ascot on Champions Day and we’ve got to be patient. He’s a wonderful horse who is improving all the time, but at this stage I’d say we’d struggle to run him on Saturday unless something out of the ordinary happened with regards to the weather forecast.”

Mill Stream won a Listed race and a Group Three at the French track in August and fully merits his place in Group One company.

“Mill Stream has come out of his Deauville race in good order, so we have decided to take the opportunity to run him again while he is good form as there are no other options for him until Champions Day,” said Chapple-Hyam.

Ralph Beckett has left in both Kinross and Lezoo after on Sunday suggesting he is likely to rely upon the latter, while Aidan O’Brien could saddle one or both of Aesop’s Fables and The Antarctic.

Other hopefuls include Ed Bethell’s Regional, the William Haggas-trained Sacred and July Cup runner-up Run To Freedom from Henry Candy’s yard.

Lezoo set to represent Beckett in Haydock’s Sprint Cup

/in /by

Ralph Beckett looks set to saddle Lezoo rather than stablemate Kinross in the Betfair Sprint Cup at Haydock on Saturday.

The Kimpton Down handler has his string in excellent form at present, highlighted by his big-race treble last weekend courtesy of Kinross at York, Angel Bleu at Goodwood and Lezoo at Newmarket.

Lezoo notched her first victory since landing last season’s Cheveley Park in the Listed Hopeful Stakes on the July Course and is being readied for a return to Group One level on Merseyside.

The prolific Kinross also has the option of heading for Haydock following his City of York Stakes success, but Beckett expects conditions to be against him.

“Lezoo will go to Haydock for the Sprint Cup as it doesn’t matter what the ground is. I don’t know who will ride her yet and we will find that out in the coming days,” said the trainer.

“It depends on the weather for Kinross as he won’t run unless it is good or softer. I’m not going to run him over six furlongs on quick ground at Haydock Park as that won’t play to his strengths.

“My best guess is that he won’t run, but we will probably leave him in on Monday.”

Reflecting on Lezoo’s recent return to winning ways, Beckett added: “It was nice to see because when they dance as many dances as she did last year, it is tough to get them to do it again. 

Trainer Ralph Beckett at Newmarket
Trainer Ralph Beckett at Newmarket (Mike Egerton/PA)

“Things then didn’t go well in the spring and mid-summer. Timeform thought she ran to a mark of 110 and that is good whatever way you look at it. To make her a Stakes winner at three was good as well. 

“I don’t know how it will pan out now but having won a Listed race, it makes sense to go back to a Group One on a track that will play to the strengths of her, and we will go from there.

“She has never been a good work filly. She has never won a gallop. She has never gone through and worked really well, so you are going through all the time having to second guess her. 

“If we get beat, we get beat, but it is more that this is the right race for her. If she was to go and finish in the first four, that would be great as well.”