Haydock Saturday

Betfair Sprint Cup (Group 1)

THE most notable aspect of racing at Haydock on Saturday was the discrepancy between the official going of good and actual conditions, with Big Mojo (Mick Appleby/William Buick) breaking the track record set on firm ground by Minzaal in this corresponding contest three years ago. His time of 1m08:49secs bettered the previous figure by over half a second.

Big Mojo, drawn wide in stall 15 and sent off at 16/1 in the face of relentless support for favourite Lazzat, launched his challenge close to the stands’ rail and held on doggedly to score by a length and a quarter and a nose from 2024 runner-up Kind Of Blue (James Fanshawe/Daniel Muscutt) (19) and Flora Of Bermuda (Andrew Balding/P.J. McDonald) (16). All told, the first five home all emerged from double-figure stalls.

Second in the July Cup by a neck and then beaten two lengths by JM Jungle when dropped to five furlongs at Goodwood last time, the son of Mohaather appreciated going back up to six at Haydock, with his draw and the quick ground also proving positives on the day.

Appleby said: “He’s been in great form at home. Mark, who rides him all the time, said he was absolutely buzzing. We were coming here quite optimistic to be fair, but it’s a Group 1.”

“What a brilliant spare ride,” was the immediate response from winning jockey Buick. “I was actually supposed to ride him in the Sandy Lane and then we ran Symbol Of Honour at the last minute, but it’s all come together today.

Worked out

“It was beautiful ground and probably middle to stands’ side is where you wanted to be and the way the race has worked out, it panned out well for me, but it was a very good performance.

“I had no real moment of worry, and he just got on with it and saw it out well. They all turned up, it was a big field, and this was well deserved.

“He’s a horse who has always run well and I’m delighted for the owners and Mick - they are good people - and for the horse as well. He turns up everywhere and always runs well.”

This was a first domestic Group 1 for Mick Appleby, although Big Evs gave him a Grade 1 win, a Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf victory for the same owners, Paul & Rachael Teasdale. The Teasdales have enjoyed tremendous success given Big Evs was their first venture into ownership.

ZEUS Olympios (Karl Burke/William Buick) maintained his unbeaten record to land Group 3 Betfair Exchange Superior Mile Stakes on Saturday, with the well-backed 11/4 favourite taking the step up from novice company to run out an impressive winner and fuelling hopes that he could be top-class next season.

The son of Night Of Thunder raced in midfield as Snow Master made the running before Buick moved him up to challenge two furlongs out, and he quickened smartly to score by two lengths and the same from Excellent Believe (Jack Channon/Tom Marquand) and Checkandchallenge (William Knight/Callum Shepherd).

The winner was another to break a previous course record, this time for three-year-olds over a mile, clocking a smart 1m37.90secs for the trip.

BOW Echo (George Boughey/Billy Loughnane) was a smart winner on debut at Newbury and took the step up to Group 2 company with elan as he doubled his tally with victory in the Ascendant Stakes, where he beat market rival Publish (John & Thady Gosden/William Buick) by a length, having got first run on that colt.

The market had Publish on top on Friday, but support for Bow Echo was sustained and he was sent off the 5/6 favourite, with Publish drifting markedly to 11/4 on the off.

The winner raced on the far side of the track, but was headed by Publish, who raced wide on the track, inside the final furlong, only to battle back gamely as the runner-up hung left, and he seemed to have a bit in hand at the finish.

Shayem (Karl Burke/Cliff Lee) finished third, two and three-quarter lengths behind the winner.

George Boughey said after the race: “Bow Echo is a lovely horse who has shown plenty of ability at home, but he’s possibly still quite raw. It looked like Publish was coming to win the race, but our horse was waiting for him and outbattled him in the end.

Asked about future targets, he replied: “He’s very much a horse for next year. Maybe we could step him up in class again this year, but I’d be quite happy to wait and run him in a Guineas trial next spring. He has plenty of pace, he’s a Guineas horse and that’s what we’ll be training him for.”

Rest of the card

On Haydock’s richest flat card of the year, there was also some high-class handicap action, with Valiancy (Saffie Osborne) putting up a useful performance to win the mile and three-quarter handicap for three-year-olds.

That race preceded the Old Borough Cup over the same trip and that historic contest saw William Haggas train first and second with The Reverend (Tom Marquand) beating Dramatic Star.

Democracy Dilemma (Robert Cowell/Tom Eaves) was given a canny ride to land the Be Friendly Handicap, a race named after the late Peter O’Sullevan’s Sprint Cup hero of yesteryear. He quickly crossed over the field to bag the stands’ rail and was never in danger of being reeled in.

Kempton Saturday

KALPANA (Andrew Balding/Colin Keane) was attempting back-to-back victories in the Group 3 September Stakes, but had her Arc pretensions suffer a blow when run down by Giavellotto (Marco Botti/Oisin Murphy) in the latest renewal.

Coming off a career-best effort in the King George, Kalpana was a hot favourite at 1/2 for her repeat bid, but she was outmuscled as much as outclassed by the winner, who gave her a bump as he took up the running early in the straight and drifted into her path when clear to win by a length and a half.

Kalpana travelled up stylishly but found less than looked likely to finish second, with the addition of a pacemaker who set an ordinary gallop not helping her.

“I’m really pleased to see Giavellotto back at the top level,” said Botti. “He’s probably never really got the credit for what he’s done.

“Now we have to consider where we go next. Hong Kong is the main target, but we’ll sit down with the owners and see what they want to do. He’s entered in the Arc, but I must admit I never thought that the race would suit him because most of the time it’s run on easy ground. I wouldn’t compromise our chances for Hong Kong with a race on soft ground.”

Andrew Balding felt that Kalpana would have just needed the run after a break and admitted to being beaten by a “very good horse” on the day. She remains on target for either the Arc or the British Champions Fillies & Mares on the final day of the season.

Five Ways steps up

The Group 3 Sirenia Stakes fell the way of Five Ways (Andrew Balding/Jason Watson), who was following up his win in a Salisbury novice over the same six-furlong trip.

The son of Kameko was able to dictate his own terms, but had to dig deep to fend off outsiders Sirius A (James Horton/Jack Mitchell) and Rogue Supremacy (David O’Meara/Luke Morris) to win by a nose and a neck.

Sent off at 4/1, the colt justified the decision to try for blacktype, for all the margins were small and the form open to interpretation.

Balding said: “He has always been good in his homework, and we thought it was worth a go. He was bred by John Hobby, who has been a good friend of my parents for many years, and he has had horses at Kingsclere for a lot of years, so it is fantastic for him. He is by Kameko as well, so it is good for the whole team.

“We were disappointed with him the first time out, but we felt the ground was a bit loose that day, but it was more like it at Salisbury last time out.

“He will stay further in time. We will see if we go again this year, but he is a lovely horse for the future. The Mill Reef would have come too soon for him, so we will see how we go.”

Around the Tracks

WITH Perth racing on Monday of last week, there was the usual influx of horses from the Gordon Elliott yard and, from a quartet of representatives, the Master of Cullentra collected a double in the first two races, with Chortal and Lightkeeper winning for Sean Bowen at odds of 2/5 and 17/2 repectively.