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The 2025 Haydock Park Sprint Cup

Ian_Davies

Ian_Davies

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May 7, 2023
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Hampshire
I've done fewer of these threads lately, as I do heed feedback and I acknowledge we don't want an overcluttered forum.

I didn't do one ahead of Saturday just gone as no British race IMO warranted it and The Fortune Teller kindly set one up for the Irish Cambridgeshire.

But there are 37 in this Group 1 6f contest and the five-day confirmations are today.

The Old Borough Cup on the same card is not an early-closing race, but five-entries are today and I've a feeling the bookies will bet on it.

I may set that up too - plus I will look at any other quality races on Saturday once the entries are in, see if there are markets and maybe add the best of those if they look competitive.

Sprint Cup Ante-Post Betting: https://www.oddschecker.com/horse-racing/ante-post-racing/flat/betfair-sprint-cup/winner
 
22 confirmed entries.

Annaf Michael Appleby
Art Power Tim Easterby
Beauvatier Yann Barberot
Diligent Harry Clive Cox
Inisherin Kevin Ryan
James's Delight Clive Cox
Kind Of Blue James Fanshawe
Lazzat Jerome Reynier
My Mate Alfie Ger Lyons
Run To Freedom Henry Candy
Ain't Nobody Kevin Ryan
Almeraq William Haggas
Big Mojo Michael Appleby
Whistlejacket Aidan O'Brien
Flora Of Bermuda Andrew Balding
Nighteyes David O'Meara
No Half Measures Richard Hughes
Rage Of Bamby Eve Johnson Houghton
Celandine Ed Walker
Sayidah Dariyan Richard Hughes
Sky Majesty William Haggas
Time For Sandals Harry Eustace
 
High Draw for Lazzat please. Mind you there’s a few of them wrapped in blue touchpaper just waiting to be lit.
 
Robicheaux said:
It ought to be Lazzat, but his bubble was burst last time out.
Click to expand...
This is sound analysis IMO.

Lazzat actually stays 7f well and I'd say the stiff 6f at Ascot helped him.

Rain west of the Pennines will help too, but he really ought to have won last time out.

They say he's getting faster - pure flannel and he's plenty short enough.

Every horse has its price and I may back him if he drifts, but I don't blame anyone for taking him on.
 
I think a lot depends on how much rain the track has had since yesterday and hod much it gets the rest of the week.

Lazzat wins it for me on his Royal Ascot form, but is there to be beaten on his run at Deauville.

I can't help feeling Time For Sandals would be shorter than 8/1 if she hailed from a "sexier" yard.

She's not done a lot wrong.

She won the Commonwealth Cup on merit and the runner up and fourth came out and won next time out.

And the easy five at Goodwood was probably too sharp for her yet, despite that and shouldering a Group 1 penalty, she was beaten less than a length.

I think she is best on a resilient surface, though, and I wouldn't be sure about her if it turned Soft, which would benefit the jolly.
 
I live 23 miles from Haydock and the rain showers we had yesterday were of biblical proportions.
I put up James's Delight yesterday as I recall Clive Cox stating it would be a much better horse on an easier surface just after it had won on debut.
It beat Beauvatier (shorter in the market) on the same terms in it's own back yard by a length and a quarter and the only time it raced on heavy ground at Pontefract it absolutely sluiced in.
Forecast to be heavy showers up until Friday
heres hoping there's plenty of them.
 
17 declared.

Annaf Silvestre de Sousa
Beauvatier Christophe Soumillon
Diligent Harry Saffie Osborne
Inisherin Tom Eaves
James's Delight Clifford Lee
Kind Of Blue Daniel Muscutt
Lazzat James Doyle
My Mate Alfie Gary Carroll
Run To Freedom Trevor Whelan
Ain't Nobody Kevin Stott
Big Mojo William Buick
Flora Of Bermuda PJ McDonald
No Half Measures Neil Callan
Rage Of Bamby Charlie Bishop
Sayidah Dariyan Billy Loughnane
Sky Majesty Tom Marquand
Time For Sandals Kieran Shoemark

Betting: link to follow
 
Be interesting to see how the course rides today.
Nineteen races to be run on the ground before the Sprint Cup takes place so it could churn up a bit.
However Friday/Saturday forecast shows no rain.
 
Barnestormer said:
Be interesting to see how the course rides today.
Nineteen races to be run on the ground before the Sprint Cup takes place so it could churn up a bit.
However Friday/Saturday forecast shows no rain.
Click to expand...
Utter geek that I am, I'll be all over the race times, wind direction, stick readings and weather forecasts like a particularly-bad rash!
 
Ian_Davies said:
I think a lot depends on how much rain the track has had since yesterday and hod much it gets the rest of the week.

Lazzat wins it for me on his Royal Ascot form, but is there to be beaten on his run at Deauville.

I can't help feeling Time For Sandals would be shorter than 8/1 if she hailed from a "sexier" yard.

She's not done a lot wrong.

She won the Commonwealth Cup on merit and the runner up and fourth came out and won next time out.

And the easy five at Goodwood was probably too sharp for her yet, despite that and shouldering a Group 1 penalty, she was beaten less than a length.

I think she is best on a resilient surface, though, and I wouldn't be sure about her if it turned Soft, which would benefit the jolly.
Click to expand...

I was looking at this one myself this morning and thinking similar thoughts I was just a bit concerned about the draw leaving her a bit isolated. Ideally you'd want to be drawn mor central to be able to just track Lazzat through the race but maybe if he goes in a straight line and not over to the high side then she might be able to track over onto his coat tail.

The only thing I can add to strengthen the argument for her is in that Commonwealth Cup victory I'd upgrade. As you've said the runner up and the 4th have been out and run since but they were both over the other side of the track. I'm more interested on what she beat on her own side of the track. Ain't nobody and Sky majesty she's put over 5 lengths on the pair that day. Sky majesty has since won a listed then a grp 3 with comparative ease in its next 2 runs. Whilst Aint nobody finish 2nd to Asfoora in a 5f grp1 at York. Ableit that was over 5f he also got to within 1.75L of Big Mojo over 6f gf at Ascot the same conditions as he encountered against TFS. Big mojo going close in the July Cup on similar ground afterwards is another frank to Ain't nobody's ability at Ascot. To put 5 lengths on this pair racing on the same part of the track looks very impressive to me. So I'd agree Ian that at the prices she's a standout but I would just have preferred a more central birth.
 
Danny said:
Right up until Friday night when they unleash the watering can of doom.
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I was a member at Haydock for a couple of years many years ago.
I remember one year the overnight going was classed as good but they had obviously overwatered the course as they had to abandon the card after two races as it was unraceable.
The magic number being two races as they did not need to offer ticket refunds!!!!
 
A good friend of mine years ago Brian Goodwill became a judge there (he was later to become a judge at Cartmel).
He said that when he sat in on a stewards meeting it was like an episode from Dad's Army!!!!
 
I'm sure I've mentioned it before but imo there is a value to knowing your CoCs and their influences.

Andrew Cooper (Epsom and Sandown) has a long-standing historical tendency to overwater.

Daniel Cooper is his nephew, used to overwater at Exeter and Wincanton and is capable of doing the same at Haydock.

They are obsessed with avoiding the word "Firm" in ground descriptions and sometimes even water in face of weather forecasts of impending rain.
 
Ian_Davies said:
I'm sure I've mentioned it before but imo there is a value to knowing your CoCs and their influences.

Andrew Cooper (Epsom and Sandown) has a long-standing historical tendency to overwater.

Daniel Cooper is his nephew, used to overwater at Exeter and Wincanton and is capable of doing the same at Haydock.

They are obsessed with avoiding the word "Firm" in ground descriptions and sometimes even water in face of weather forecasts of impending rain.
Click to expand...

I think if you assume the ground will be overwatered, you’re making the same mistake — just in the other direction. In fact, this summer there were plenty of trainer quotes begging for more rain and watering at the big meetings to suit their respective horses.
 
Slim said:
I think if you assume the ground will be overwatered, you’re making the same mistake — just in the other direction. In fact, this summer there were plenty of trainer quotes begging for more rain and watering at the big meetings to suit their respective horses.
Click to expand...
I'd agree with that - I don't make the assumption, but I am open to the possibility and then my geeky numbers usually tell me where the truth lies.
 
If a Turf OR 68-rated 9yo can be 1.71s slow for 5f there can't be that much wrong with the ground tbh.

All depends on if they watered after racing and, if so, how much.

I'll know more in the Ante Meridian.
 

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