Haydock’s biggest day of Flat racing is back with the Group 1 sprint contest, the Sprint Cup Stakes taking centre stage at 3.35.
It looks like a particularly competitive renewal with no standout contender for this year’s six-furlong sprint.
We’ve picked out two selections from the feature race at value odds, both of whom are last time out winners on an upward trajectory.
- SELECTION: BUCANERO FUERTE
- NEXT BEST: ELITE STATUS
3.35 Haydock - 6f Betfair Sprint Cup Stakes
This year’s renewal of the Sprint Cup looks wide open with a case to be made for most in this field. However, there are a few reasons to think that Bucanero Fuerte can go well at an each-way price at the time of writing.
Haydock often plays to the strength of front runners on the straight track where it’s usually difficult to make up a lot of ground and Bucanero Fuerte is often seen at his best when allowed to stride on and dominate from the front.
That was the case when he was last seen winning a Group 3 contest at Naas and last year’s Group 1 Phoenix Stakes winner seems to be most at home on a straight six-furlong track.
His recent Group 3 win at Naas has received a major form boost since with the runner-up, Givemethebeatboys (re-opposes again here), landing a competitive Group 3 race at the Curragh since and this three-year-old has a less exposed profile than most of his rivals, having just his seventh career start here.
There’s a chance he could come on from his winning reappearance and he’s got an in-form David Egan in the saddle who has been riding plenty of winners in recent weeks. This colt’s strike-rate to date of four from six is highly encouraging and given that he’s already proven at Group 1 level he could be the one to side with at double figure odds.
It could also be worth having a saver on Elite Status at a shorter price given that similarly to the main selection, he’s on a steep upward curve.
This progressive three-year-old is unbeaten in two runs this term, winning a Listed race at Newbury on his reappearance before taking out a Group 3 back at that venue in July when getting the better of Lake Forest and the re-opposing Kind Of Blue.
Conditions appear to have come in his favour too with drying ground likely to suit and it’s notable that he’s the first-string from the yard’s trio of runners with stable jockey Clifford Lee taking the ride.
Three-year-olds have won five of the last 10 renewals of this race so it’s worth siding with those on an upward trajectory given the generous weight for age allowance at this time of the season.
The yard has been amongst the winners in recent weeks and trainer Karl Burke has enjoyed success in this contest previously with Quiet Reflection.
