Haydock will play host to the Sprint Cup on Saturday.
Timeform's Matt Gardner looks ahead to Saturday's feature race on these shores, the Group 1 Sprint Cup at Haydock...
I can't say that I'm especially happy with David Barron. Not only has he removed the opportunity to land a punt on Pearl Secret in Haydock's feature event on Saturday he has, inadvertently, increased my workload as a result.
The field for the Sprint Cup was taking on a very similar tone to the Nunthorpe, with many of the main protagonists from that event entered, and, having written the ante-post preview for York's Group 1, I cunningly planned to recycle the arguments and suggest that Pearl Secret could make amends for a poor draw/unlucky passage/poor ride on the Knavesmire by triumphing here.
Damn you, David Barron, for forcing me to seek out an alternative to your incredibly speedy three-year-old.
The question to ask, when sifting through the likely players in this contest, is how did the Nunthorpe change any opinions on those that took part? Other than reinforcing the opinion that Jamie Spencer will be an excellent companion for the usually held-up Dandy Boy, it didn't really.
There is no doubting that Australian mare Ortensia, who took a couple of runs to come to herself on arriving in Britain, deserves plenty of credit for making up so much ground at a track where such tactics are usually difficult to pull off. Having said that, the blistering pace set by the leaders did set things up for a late-closer and the majority of the market principals were scuppered by the draw, making her task somewhat easier than it could have been.
The return to six furlongs will play more to the seven-year-old's strengths than last month's test did and she is almost certain to be in the firing line, but the current price of 3.613/5 does not look all that attractive when compared with what is on offer with regards to some of her rivals. Ortensia to make the three, but we are taking her on for win purposes.
Bated Breath was one of the chief sufferers at the Knavesmire, doing best of those that raced towards the stands side but his draw and track position ultimately ruined his chance. The five-year-old's record at Haydock cannot be sniffed at, three wins and a second-placed effort from four starts, including this season's Temple Stakes and when denied a nose by Dream Ahead in last year's running of this event.
Many will be supporting him to come good at Haydock once more, and his price of 4.84/1 appeals more than Ortensia's, but he is yet to gain that elusive victory at the highest level. It would be grossly unfair to say that it was through lack of effort, last year's second-placed efforts in this and the July Cup, as well as the King's Stand this year, serve testament to that, but he just seems to find one narrowly too good, a scenario which may play out once more. Bated Breath to finish second, but we are taking him on for win purposes.
The trio to turn to in search of the winner are Wizz Kid, Strong Suit and Mayson, with the first mentioned all set to make the journey over from her native France. The four-year-old did incredibly well last season in what is a notoriously difficult year for sprinters, arguably unlucky when fifth in the Nunthorpe and the Prix de l'Abbaye before running her best race yet as she went down by a length and a half to Deacon Blues in the Champions Sprint at Ascot.
Wizz Kid got right back to her best on her second start of this year, winning a Group 2 at Chantilly, and her run in the King's Stand can be overlooked, the race not going her way as she was checked just as she started to gather some momentum. Wizz Kid was no match for Moonlight Cloud over six and a half furlongs on her latest start at Deauville, but it was a much better performance and she is more of a sprinter than the winner, so the slight drop in trip will be right up her street.
Connections of Mayson and Strong Suit will be performing very different dances in the coming days, with one set looking to the heavens for rain whilst the others pray to whoever controls that mystical ball in the sky.
Mayson does have form on a sounder surface, finishing placed in listed events at Ripon and Doncaster, but his best form, and his three wins this year, has come on ground softer than good. His win in the July Cup is not to be crabbed, as some did, purely because he seemingly handled the testing conditions better than his rivals as he won in a good time, but there was an opportunistic element to his success. More of his opponents are likely to give their running against him should the rain not arrive however, and from an ante-post perspective it is difficult to recommend him for all that the British climate is unlikely to let his supporters down.
In a similar yet converse situation is the Strong Suit camp, hoping against hope that a heat wave strikes the country and that the Haydock turf resembles a runway rather than a stretch of grass. The four-year-old is yet to scale the heights of last season in 2012 but there are excuses for that, finding the test too much on his reappearance at Ascot in the Queen Anne before encountering the bog/Newmarket July course when behind Mayson in the July Cup.
His second-placed effort in the Hungerford were the first signs of life this year, and that finishing position can really be upgraded to first as he should have won, the field giving eventual winner Lethal Force far too much rope and not being able to make up the deficit.
The impression is that Strong Suit will have no problems with the demands put on speed on his return to sprinting and, at the prices (currently trading at 9.617/2) he makes most appeal of the market leaders.
Having established that Bated Breath and Ortensia are going to finish second and third respectively, we are now faced with a choice between three as to who emerges triumphant. Mayson is the first to be eliminated, his potential dependence on rainfall too select for an ante-post wager, and for similar reasons Strong Suit also gets the push, as playing chicken with the British weather is not for me. Therefore we are left with Wizz Kid, a four-year-old who, if returning to or bettering the level she showed in defeat on Champions Day at Ascot last year, will have a mighty chance of landing the spoils come Saturday.
Recommendation
Back Wizz Kid @ 19.5n/a in the Sprint Cup
Get open access to Timeform data for just 2.50 a day with Timeform Race Passes. It's like a Form Book, Black Book & Race Card all in one! Find Out More!
Timeform's Matt Gardner looks ahead to Saturday's feature race on these shores, the Group 1 Sprint Cup at Haydock...
I can't say that I'm especially happy with David Barron. Not only has he removed the opportunity to land a punt on Pearl Secret in Haydock's feature event on Saturday he has, inadvertently, increased my workload as a result.
The field for the Sprint Cup was taking on a very similar tone to the Nunthorpe, with many of the main protagonists from that event entered, and, having written the ante-post preview for York's Group 1, I cunningly planned to recycle the arguments and suggest that Pearl Secret could make amends for a poor draw/unlucky passage/poor ride on the Knavesmire by triumphing here.
Damn you, David Barron, for forcing me to seek out an alternative to your incredibly speedy three-year-old.
The question to ask, when sifting through the likely players in this contest, is how did the Nunthorpe change any opinions on those that took part? Other than reinforcing the opinion that Jamie Spencer will be an excellent companion for the usually held-up Dandy Boy, it didn't really.
There is no doubting that Australian mare Ortensia, who took a couple of runs to come to herself on arriving in Britain, deserves plenty of credit for making up so much ground at a track where such tactics are usually difficult to pull off. Having said that, the blistering pace set by the leaders did set things up for a late-closer and the majority of the market principals were scuppered by the draw, making her task somewhat easier than it could have been.
The return to six furlongs will play more to the seven-year-old's strengths than last month's test did and she is almost certain to be in the firing line, but the current price of 3.613/5 does not look all that attractive when compared with what is on offer with regards to some of her rivals. Ortensia to make the three, but we are taking her on for win purposes.
Bated Breath was one of the chief sufferers at the Knavesmire, doing best of those that raced towards the stands side but his draw and track position ultimately ruined his chance. The five-year-old's record at Haydock cannot be sniffed at, three wins and a second-placed effort from four starts, including this season's Temple Stakes and when denied a nose by Dream Ahead in last year's running of this event.
Many will be supporting him to come good at Haydock once more, and his price of 4.84/1 appeals more than Ortensia's, but he is yet to gain that elusive victory at the highest level. It would be grossly unfair to say that it was through lack of effort, last year's second-placed efforts in this and the July Cup, as well as the King's Stand this year, serve testament to that, but he just seems to find one narrowly too good, a scenario which may play out once more. Bated Breath to finish second, but we are taking him on for win purposes.
The trio to turn to in search of the winner are Wizz Kid, Strong Suit and Mayson, with the first mentioned all set to make the journey over from her native France. The four-year-old did incredibly well last season in what is a notoriously difficult year for sprinters, arguably unlucky when fifth in the Nunthorpe and the Prix de l'Abbaye before running her best race yet as she went down by a length and a half to Deacon Blues in the Champions Sprint at Ascot.
Wizz Kid got right back to her best on her second start of this year, winning a Group 2 at Chantilly, and her run in the King's Stand can be overlooked, the race not going her way as she was checked just as she started to gather some momentum. Wizz Kid was no match for Moonlight Cloud over six and a half furlongs on her latest start at Deauville, but it was a much better performance and she is more of a sprinter than the winner, so the slight drop in trip will be right up her street.
Connections of Mayson and Strong Suit will be performing very different dances in the coming days, with one set looking to the heavens for rain whilst the others pray to whoever controls that mystical ball in the sky.
Mayson does have form on a sounder surface, finishing placed in listed events at Ripon and Doncaster, but his best form, and his three wins this year, has come on ground softer than good. His win in the July Cup is not to be crabbed, as some did, purely because he seemingly handled the testing conditions better than his rivals as he won in a good time, but there was an opportunistic element to his success. More of his opponents are likely to give their running against him should the rain not arrive however, and from an ante-post perspective it is difficult to recommend him for all that the British climate is unlikely to let his supporters down.
In a similar yet converse situation is the Strong Suit camp, hoping against hope that a heat wave strikes the country and that the Haydock turf resembles a runway rather than a stretch of grass. The four-year-old is yet to scale the heights of last season in 2012 but there are excuses for that, finding the test too much on his reappearance at Ascot in the Queen Anne before encountering the bog/Newmarket July course when behind Mayson in the July Cup.
His second-placed effort in the Hungerford were the first signs of life this year, and that finishing position can really be upgraded to first as he should have won, the field giving eventual winner Lethal Force far too much rope and not being able to make up the deficit.
The impression is that Strong Suit will have no problems with the demands put on speed on his return to sprinting and, at the prices (currently trading at 9.617/2) he makes most appeal of the market leaders.
Having established that Bated Breath and Ortensia are going to finish second and third respectively, we are now faced with a choice between three as to who emerges triumphant. Mayson is the first to be eliminated, his potential dependence on rainfall too select for an ante-post wager, and for similar reasons Strong Suit also gets the push, as playing chicken with the British weather is not for me. Therefore we are left with Wizz Kid, a four-year-old who, if returning to or bettering the level she showed in defeat on Champions Day at Ascot last year, will have a mighty chance of landing the spoils come Saturday.
Recommendation
Back Wizz Kid @ 19.5n/a in the Sprint Cup
Get open access to Timeform data for just 2.50 a day with Timeform Race Passes. It's like a Form Book, Black Book & Race Card all in one! Find Out More!
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