The flat season is drawing to a close but there is one last
hurrah at Ascot on Saturday. Champions Day sees some of the best horses in the world
taking each other on and one of my favourite races is the 6f Champion Sprint
Stakes. A fantastic field of 13 of the speediest colts, geldings and fillies on
the planet have been declared and if you blink, you might miss it. The mighty
Harry Angel is a short price to complete a hat trick of wins at the highest
level but he isn’t guaranteed to have things all his own way. Read my thoughts
on what should be a thrilling race below.
The Main
Contenders
Harry Angel
Clive Cox has repeatedly shown he has a special way with
sprinters and Harry Angel is surely the jewel in his crown. This 3yo son of
Dark Angel has flourished this season and he is looking to win his third Group
1 in a row at Ascot on Saturday. Bought by Godolphin after a cracking effort
here at the Royal meeting (6f gd/fm) when narrowly beaten by Caravaggio, he has
gone from strength to strength for the boys in blue. On a similar surface he
proved far too good for crack fast ground sprinter Limato at Newmarket in the
Group 1 July Cup, racing up with the pace and putting the race to bed a furlong
out.
He showed that heavy ground held no fears when hosing up in
the Sprint Cup at Haydock last time out and he comes into this race as a worthy
favourite. However, he has been on the go since the 3rd of May and whether he
will still be at his very best in mid October remains to be seen. Horses aren’t
machines after all, and it would be some training performance by Cox to get him
here in the same shape he was in at Newmarket and Haydock. He is a best price
of 11/10 for Saturday but I think there is better value to be found elsewhere.
Caravaggio
There is huge hype centred on the Aidan O’Brien yard at the
moment as he chases down the record total of 25 Group 1 wins in a season held
by Bobby Frankel. He is one behind, and the law of averages would suggest he
will equal, and probably break the record this weekend. Enigmatic sprinter
Caravaggio looks to be his best chance of glory in this race, but this horse is
far from reliable and he is not one for maximum faith.
He looked the real deal when beating Harry Angel at Royal
Ascot, but in hindsight that was more a result of one of his stablemates harassing
the Cox horse than his actual ability. He was firmly put in his place next
time, not only by Harry Angel but also by Limato and Brando too. It was far
from smooth last time out when he beat Alphabet by a length in a Group 2 at the
Curragh and that form won’t suffice here. He is 2nd favourite because of who he
is trained by rather than what he has achieved, and I think he is more a 10/1
shot than his current price of just 9/2.
Quiet Reflection
Four of the thirteen entries in this race are owned by
Coolmore, including the 2nd fav, and the favourite is owned by Godolphin, all
powerhouses of the equine world. The third in the market is owned partly by the
Ontoawinner Syndicate and this filly more than deserves her place in a race of
this nature. She has been a flagbearer not only for Karl Burke, but also for Ontoawinner and the ragtag bunch of characters that own her.
This 4yo daughter of Showcasing is already a dual Group 1
winner so she owes connections nothing, but I think she could complete the hat trick
at Ascot on ground that is sure to suit. Since turning three she is unbeaten on
ground with soft in the description and after a rare poor effort at Haydock on
ground quicker than ideal back in May she looked back to her brilliant best at
Naas in a Group 3 last time. The rain has arrived in time, she has a searing
turn of foot and I think at odds of 7/1 she looks by far the best value in this
race.
The Tin Man
This fella has done all his winning on good or good to firm
ground and while he has solid placed form on soft and heavy he simply isn’t as effective
on it and it seems to blunt his turn of foot. The rain that has already fallen
won’t be to his liking and with even more forecast it will further dent his
chance of a repeat win. He should run his usual solid race though and it would
be no big surprise to see him sneak a place.
The Best Of The
Rest
At bigger prices there are a couple of horses that could go
well, and Tasleet is one of them.
William Haggas’ 4yo son of Showcasing was only a neck behind The Tin Man in the
Golden Jubilee, he chased home Harry Angel last time on heavy and he should run
well again without winning. Brando
is another solid performer but he is at his best on good or better so
conditions are not in his favour. Dashing grey Librisa Breeze has been running well in these types of races
without looking good enough to win one, but he will handle the ground, he goes
well at the track and at a nice price he could hit the frame.
Verdict
This is a cracking renewal of the Champion Sprint Stakes and
it really is an intriguing race from a tactical viewpoint. There are no secrets
regarding the running style of Harry Angel and he will look to dictate matters
from out in front. Aidan O’Brien saddles both Washington DC and Alphabet and it
would be no surprise to see the latter try and hassle Harry Angel up front. The
worries for Harry Angel supporters are that he gets taken on for the lead and
runs out of gas and also that he has failed to win on two previous visits to
Ascot. He has been on the go since early May too and this could be a race too
far for him. Whatever happens, a furious early pace looks assured and there is
one filly that will really enjoy a fast run race.
Quiet Reflection is
at her best when held up off a strong pace and she will get that at Ascot on
Saturday. She will absolutely relish the underfoot conditions and she looked
back to her brilliant best when hosing up at Naas last time. This is obviously a
tougher task but she is already a dual Group 1 winner, including the
Commonwealth Cup here, and I think Martin Harley will produce her fast and late
to land the spoils. She will be dropped in behind the early leaders and few
will be travelling better two furlongs out. When Harley presses the button she
can demonstrate her trademark turn of foot and claim a third Group 1 for the
Ontoawinner Syndicate and Karl Burke. The Tin Man and Librisa Breeze ccould be
the ones to chase her home.
STEVOS’ SELECTION: 1.
QUIET REFLECTION 2. THE TIN MAN 3. LIBRISA BREEZE
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