Find all previous Seymour Biz racing previews in his weekly column: Saturday Horse Racing Tips.
It’s one of my favourite Saturdays of the year this week when Haydock stages their only Group 1 of the season, the Betfair Sprint Cup, which is looking very competitive this year with the winners of the QE II Jubilee Stakes, the Commonwealth Cup and July Cup. I have reviewed it below.
This Group 1 is backed up by a Group 3, a Listed race and two Class 2 handicaps from the Merseyside track. Added to this fine meeting, there are two Class 2 handicaps from Ascot and two races on the all-weather at Kempton, a Group 3 and a Class 2 handicap.
So with nine races to look forward to, with five of which are handicaps, we can expect some exciting contests, and here are my thoughts along with this week’s Lucky Fifteen.
Saturday Lucky Fifteen
3.00 Haydock. Dancing In Paris
3.35 Haydock Kind Of Blue
2.05 Kempton. Sky Safari
2.40 Ascot. King’s Lynn
Bet this lucky 15 on Bet365
Beginning at Haydock with the 3.00, the Betfair Exchange Old Borough Cup Handicap is a Class 2 race run over 1m 6f. The current favourite is William Haggas’s The Reverend, who won over 1m 4f at Ripon in July. It remains to be seen how he copes with these extra 2 furlongs.
Haggas has another runner with Dramatic Star, who won twice last year and has had just one run this term. That was last month at Ascot, finishing 6th. That run could put him spot on for this, and he can go close.
David O’Meara’s Stressfree was a fine 4th in the Ebor at York last month, beating several he meets here. He won at this course in May but has plenty of weight here.
Iain Jardine’s Paddy The Squire won twice last month at Thirsk and Hamilton, but this is much tougher.
George Scott’s Caballo de Mar has won 4 out of 6 this season and was runner-up in the other two races. One of those victories came here at Haydock over 2 miles last May, a bold run is expected.
But my preference is for Dancing In Paris, trained by Ian Williams. He has run consistently well this season without success, including a good 4th at York last month. Prior to that, he was 2nd at Goodwood. He is a prior winner here at Haydock and is on a good handicap mark.
The Group 1 Betfair Sprint Cup is at 3.35. This top-class contest is run over Haydock’s straight 6 furlongs. The very warm favourite is the French challenger Lazzat, trained by J Reynier.
This dual Group 1 winner’s latest victory was at Royal Ascot in the QE II Jubilee Stakes, where he made all. Since then, he was a well-beaten second in another Group 1 at Deauville earlier this month. He goes well on any surface and looks the one to beat.
Kevin Ryan’s Inisherin was 9th at Deauville and 7th in the QE II, and could only finish 13th last year despite going off favourite. This is not the form required to figure here.
Richard Hughes’s No Half Measures won the Group 1 July Cup at Newmarket in July. She goes on any ground and comes here fresh after a break.
Hughes’s other runner is Sayidah Dariyan, who won a Group 3 at York in July but was outpaced in the Nunthorpe at the same course last month, finishing 7th.
Harry Eustace’s Time For Sandals won the Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot, a 3-year-old race, then finished 3rd in the King George at Goodwood. More is required.
I give Andrew Balding’s Flora Of Bermuda a chance after finishing 3rd behind Lazzat at Royal Ascot and 5th last year. Any rain would help, and she can be placed at a nice price.
But my idea of the winner is James Fanshawe’s Kind Of Blue, who ran second in this race last year, beaten just a head. He then went on to win a Group 1 at Ascot on Champions Day, proving he is an Autumn horse, and any rain will be much appreciated.
I move to Kempton’s all-weather track for the next selection in the 2.05, the Unibet London Mile Series Final Handicap, which is a Class 2 handicap run over a mile. Top weight is Clive Cox’s Kingdom Come, who has won twice at this Middlesex track in the past, but he has been unsuccessful this season and has plenty of weight.
Ed Superposition won a Class 4 over this course and distance in May but has been unsuccessful since being upped in class.
Kieran Burke’s Whitcombe Rockstar won here at Kempton over this distance no fewer than five times last year, but his form has fallen off a cliff this term. He needs to drop down the handicap.
Ian Williams’s Silent Age won at Ripon last month, his third win this season, which included a victory on the all-weather at Wolverhampton. He is not without a chance.
Daniel and Claire Kubler train Helm Rock, who won a Class 4 at Haydock in July, and they will be looking to celebrate their new enterprise in Bahrain with another victory. But this is a big step up in class for their charge.
Spy Safari is the one for me. She is trained by James Fanshawe and has won twice at this track this season, latterly in July. She can make this step up in grade and take this.
For the final leg, I go to Ascot for the 2.40, the Ascot Handicap, Class 2 race run over 7 furlongs. One of the top weights is David O’Meara’s Rhoscolyn, who won at Goodwood on her penultimate outing, but he has plenty of weight after that win.
O’Meara has five further runners in this race, the best of which is probably Darkness, who won at Goodwood a fortnight ago, but he is upped in the handicap for that victory.
Eve Johnson Houghton’s Great Acclaim is having a fine season with wins at Goodwood and Chepstow. He was a fine second behind Darkness last time and can go close here.
Karl Burke’s Native Warrior won on the all-weather at Newcastle in June and then ran a fair 3rd at Goodwood the following month after being hampered in the final furlong.
Andrew Balding’s horses have been running well, and he has King’s Lynn in the lineup here. He won at Haydock in July and since then, has run with credit, including last time out when only beaten a head at Newcastle last month. He can gain recompense for that defeat here.
Saturday Lucky Fifteen
3.00 Haydock. Dancing In Paris
3.35 Haydock Kind Of Blue
2.05 Kempton. Sky Safari
2.40 Ascot. King’s Lynn
Bet this lucky 15 on Bet365
Related Reading:
