A busy weekend of racing features the Group 1 Sprint Cup at Haydock on Saturday. Matty Sutcliffe has picked out a whopping SEVEN best value bets for you to follow throughout the afternoon.
1:15 Haydock – Best Odds On The Betfair Exchange Superior Mile Stakes (Group 3) (Class 1) 3yo+) – Fearnot 10/1 1pt EW 3 places
The older brigade make little appeal in here with two of them declared elsewhere, Ice Max seemingly prefers a sharper track and Checkandchallenge remains winless since November 2023, so it may pay to chance one of the three year olds with that age group taking two of the last six renewals of the Superior Mile.
Clive Cox’s FEARNOT gets the nod to improve out of handicap company which has been a successful angle in this contest of late with the likes of Holloway Boy, Artistic Rifles, Triple Time and Balty Boys all contesting a handicap on their previous outing prior to landing this, with two of them coming from York and both Ballet Concerto and Hathal had also contested a York handicap two starts prior to landing this, which significantly increases the interest in Fearnot.
The son of Invincible Spirit only made his debut in March when landing a Wolverhampton Novice in smart fashion having made rapid headway from rear. He backed that up under a penalty at Kempton giving 6lbs to the winner and pulling four lengths clear of the third, before keenness let him down when third on handicap debut at Newmarket.
Fearnot got back to winning ways at Ascot with a four length route, and was only just beaten by Arabian Story when third in the Britannia Stakes at Royal Ascot. He then produced a career best back at Ascot in 0-105 open company against when overcoming trouble in running to fend off Bullet Point a shade cosily. The winner has franked that form having landed the valuable Clipper Handicap next time out at the Ebor meeting, and Fearnot was far from disgraced there in the Mile Handicap.
He was drawn in stall 15 and raced wide in rear throughout off top-weight which appeared an impossible task, and that proved the case for all he flew home late under hands and heels to clock the fastest sixth and seventh furlong in a race where the first five home came from single figure draws and raced prominently, so Fearnot’s effort can be easily upgraded.
While Clive Cox is yet to land this contest, his record in Haydock non-handicaps reads 46-11-24 over the last five seasons with a profit of £29.03+ to a £1 level stake. While Fearnot may encounter softer going for the first time, he comes from a family of multiple soft ground winners and if coping with the surface then he’s taken to continue his progression and successfully take this step up to pattern company in his stride.
1:50 Haydock – Betting.Betfair Ascendant Stakes (Listed Race) (Class 1) (2yo) – Bourbon Blues 20/1 0.5pt EW 3 places
Eight of the last ten winners of this contest had all contested pattern races on their previous start and the sole two qualifiers in here are Midnight Tango and BOURBON BLUES. The rag of the field Bourbon Blues gets the nod having acquitted himself well in three Group contests of late and can get back to winning ways now stepping up in trip.
The son of Space Blues stepped up from a promising debut when costly landing a Brighton Maiden in May and while that form hasn’t worked out, he was still able to produce a solid effort in the Coventry Stakes when a six-length eighth in a race dominated by 7/2F Gstaad, and he was only three lengths behind Do Or Do Not and Coppull with the former placing in both the July Stakes and Vintage Stakes since and the latter landing the Richmond Stakes.
Bourbon Blues looked outpaced on the ground, such as was the case when a four length sixth in the Superlative Stakes when stepped up to seven furlongs for all he did rally late on to suggest it wasn’t the trip that beat him. He was then sent across the channel to the G3 Francois Boutin over seven furlongs and shaped very well for a long way, only getting collared for second by two fast finishers late on with the runaway winner flying from rear, and the first four home pulling well clear of the fifth.
He’s bred to appreciate this step up in trip to a mile with his dam a winner over 1m2f and a half brother to a multiple winner between 1m2f-1m4f, and if the return to an easier surface looks to suit in a race where proven class in this grade generally comes to the fore.
2:05 Kempton – Unibet London Mile Series Final Handicap (Series Final – Qualified horses Only) (Class 2) (3yo+) – Mr Baloo 12/1 0.5pt EW 4 places + Local Hero 8/1 1pt WIN
Double figure draws have taken seven of the last nine renewals of this contest and stall fourteen is responsible for four of those, so the wide draw shouldn’t put us off MR BALOO who’s trainer Richard Hannon has landed two of the last six renewals.
The Kodi Bear colt has to bounce back from a below par effort at Epsom in June, but he was reportedly never travelling there and his proven record fresh suggests we shouldn’t be concerned by the 92 day layoff. Prior to that he was a solid third off this mark at Newmarket off top-weight behind a pair of subsequent winners, but he’s better known for his exploits on the all-weather with six wins from 14 starts.
His Kempton form reads 911643 though that reads 12 over C&D, and his record over a mile on the all-weather in general reads 121311, so the return to these conditions can see him put up a solid account of himself.
I’d also like to chance Hannon’s other runner in the race LOCAL HERO, who’s form figures don’t look all that inspiring but both of Hannon’s recent winners in this contest were geldings and now returning off the back of the cruellest cut of all, Local Hero can bounce back to form.
His latest two efforts took his record on straight tracks to 065378, whereas his record going around a bend reads 12131492. His record at Kempton reads 11142 which further bodes well, and the key piece of form is his head second to the classy Mount Athos here in March, who franked that form when second to the subsequent Criterion Stakes third Paborus.
His record fresh reads 12134, and like Mr Baloo he’s likely to have been targeted for this contest and has to be taken now 2lbs lower than his last winning mark which came over C&D.
3:00 Haydock – Betfair Exchange Old Borough Cup Handicap (GBBPlus Race) (Class 2) (3yo+ 0-105) – Stressfree 7/1 1pt WIN
Three of the last five winners of this contest ran in the Ebor Handicap last time out including last years winner Epic Poet, whose connections are responsible for STRESSFREE who ran almost a carbon copy of Epic Poet in that contest having stayed on late from rear to finish fourth.
The quick ground won’t have suited Stressfree in the Ebor, nor did his challenging position on the far-side flank with the race panning out to favour those toward the near-side given six of the first seven home came from that flank. Stressfree travelled notably strong into the race suggesting this mark of 102 might not be beyond him, clocking the second quickest finishing speed percentage in the process only to the runaway winner.
He’s becoming something of a stalwart in these competitive handicaps with his record this season reading 43210594 with the only below par efforts coming on ground too quick at Ascot and being denied a clear run at Goodwood, so a proven capability of handling a big field bodes well.
He landed a competitive 0-105 over 1m4f here in May off 5lbs lower to post what was a career best RPR at the time and given his latest effort on what was only his second attempt at this distance sparked a career best RPR, that should stand him in good for the return here to land back to back Old Borough cups for connections.
3:35 Haydock – Betfair Sprint Cup Stakes (Group 1) (Class 1) (3yo+) – Nighteyes 50/1 1pt EW 5 places + Annaf 66/1 0.5pt EW
NIGHTEYES will need one to come out in order to take her place here but should that prevail, I think she’s a knocking bet at 50s in a division prone to throwing up a surprise of late.
The daughter of Night Of Thunder rose through the handicapping ranks last season after a productive two year old campaign, landing a pair of fillies handicaps (including over C&D) before a length third in the Listed Scurry Stakes behind fillies rated 11 and 12lbs higher than her respectively.
She then backed up that effort with a convincing three length success in Listed company at Naas, and while her two subsequent efforts were way below form (lost action on season debut), she bounced right back to form to be beaten 3/4L by Frost At Dawn, who’s since hit the frame in the King Charles, the Qatar Stakes and the Nunthorpe.
Nighteyes was then fourth at 100/1 in the QEII behind Lazzat and she proved that was no fluke when flying down the nearside in the G3 Summer Stakes to finish second to Sayidah Dariyan giving her 6lbs, who wasn’t disgraced when a four length seventh in the Nunthorpe next time out and had previously only been beaten a length in the Commonwealth Cup.
She lost nothing in defeat when a four length fifth in the Phoenix Sprint Stakes at Naas, and given her intertwining formlines with many of the protagonists in this field she’s taken to run another big race at a course she’s put two of her best performances up at.
ANNAF is the other big-priced runner I’d like to be on as while as was waiting to back him in the Portland Handicap, a subsequent 2lbs rise on the back of his G1 City Of York Stakes seventh has scuppered that plan and he’s another who look primed to run a big race.
It wasn’t until the 2023 Portland that he broke his duck on turf after 12 attempts, but prior to that he shaped very well in this contest when stopped in running twice, beaten only three lengths when initially travelling the best of the field. He clocked the top speed in the race and the second quickest finishing speed percentage, and evidently franked that promise by landing the Portland and the G3 Bengough Stakes before copping a huge prize at Riyadh.
Annaf has had some close calls this term in and while I’ve long thought the Portland was his aim, he ran a huge race in the Group One at York having travelled strongly throughout and it looked at one point a furlong out he could be in with a squeak. I wouldn’t be so sure it was class that beat him as much as it was the trip, so this drop back to six furlongs in a race he’s previously fared unlucky in rates him a strong outsider if getting the gaps.
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