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Betfred Sprint Cup |
Reverence Commands Respect in Sprint Cup
03/09/06
1st 5 Reverence 11/4 FAV
2nd 4 Quito 9/1
3rd 8 Amadeus Wolf 4/1
Kevin Darley hailed Reverence after what he described as a "tremendous feat" in securing a Group One double at Haydock.
The five-year-old powered through very testing conditions to lift the Betfred Sprint Cup at the Merseyside venue, just nine days after taking the Nunthorpe Stakes at York.
"His run at York was a big step up but to win back-to-back Group Ones is a tremendous feat," Darley told At The Races.
Darley was quick to point out trainer Eric Alston's achievement in producing the gelding ready to run, but believes the victory further underlines Reverence's preference for soft ground.
He added: "It was a great training performance and the horse has certainly got true class.
"The thing is on soft ground he can find a gear as he proved at York and at Haydock yesterday (Saturday).
"He feels so much easier with a bit of ease in the ground - you can feel it just cantering down with him.
"If the ground is on the quick side he's just not happy, he likes to get his toe in. He's got that ability to quicken on easy ground."
Reverence is likely to try to make it a hat-trick at the highest level in next month's Prix de l'Abbaye at Longchamp.
Amadeus Wolf Among 11 Bidding For Betfred Sprint Cup Glory
31/08/06
Amadeus Wolf will attempt to land his first victory of the season in Saturday's Group One £300,000 Betfred Sprint Cup at Haydock, for which 11 runners have been declared.
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Ryan said this morning: "He seems to have come out of the Nunthorpe in great form and is bouncing. Two days afterwards he was bucking and squealing. He's run consistently well all year and has got stronger as the year has gone on.
"It's hard for three-year-olds taking on the older horses earlier
on in the season, but he's a very good horse and is improving.
"He's a typical top class horse and seems to handle any ground. He's tough and genuine and is very well going into the race.
"On the day we just hope that everything pans out well, and it would be great to get that first win on the board. They're all good horses in the Betfred Sprint Cup, but my fellow is well capable of winning it."
Nunthorpe Stakes winner Reverence, owned by Haydock Park Director Gary
Middlebrook and his wife Lesley, will be attempting to become the third
horse to complete the Nunthorpe Stakes/Betfred Sprint Cup double in the
same season following on from Habibti (1983), Ajdal (1987) and Dayjur
(1990). In more recent years, both Oasis Dream (2003) and La Cucaracha
(2005) finished second at Haydock Park following their York success.
The sponsors make Amadeus Wolf the 7/2 second favourite behind his York
conqueror Reverence, priced at 11/4. They then bet 7/1 Quito, 8/1 Steenberg,
12/1 Somnus, Balthazaar's Gift and Red Clubs, 14/1 Excusez Moi, 20/1
Miss Sally, 25/1 Kodiac and 33/1 Philharmonic.
Kirkland Tellwright, Haydock Park's Clerk of the Course, reported the
current going on the straight course to be SOFT, HEAVY IN PLACES.
He reported: "We had a very wet night, with 20 millimetres of rain since yesterday evening, and the forecast is for further scattered showers. There is a possibility that the ground will turn heavy for Saturday."
For further information, please contact Kirkland Tellwright, Haydock Park's Clerk of the Course, on 01942 725963, or visit www.haydock-park.co.uk
HISTORY OF THE BETFRED SPRINT CUP
The Betfred Sprint Cup is the highlight of the Flat season at Haydock Park and the Group One sprint over six furlongs is run for the 40th time at the North-West track on Saturday, September 2.
The race regularly attracts the very best horses from across Europe
and is usually a major factor in deciding each year's champion sprinter.
In its early days, the Sprint Cup was held on the final day of the Flat turf season in early November and was sponsored by the Sangster family's Vernons Pools company.
The inaugural running was held on November 5, 1966, and fell to Be Friendly,
trained in Epsom by Cyril Mitchell and owned by the BBC's "Voice
of Racing" - Peter O'Sullevan. Be Friendly was victorious once again
in 1967 and remains the only dual victor to date. He was cruelly denied
a chance to score three times by fog in 1968.
David Robinson was one of the leading owners of the 1960s and he enjoyed two victories with Tudor Music (1969) and Green God (1971). Both horses were trained by Newmarket-based Michael Jarvis, who also triumphed with Petong in 1984.
Legendary Irish trainer Vincent O'Brien sent out the first overseas-trained
winner in 1972 in the shape of Abergwaun, owned by Charles St George
and ridden by Lester Piggott, while in 1975 the filly Lianga, trained
in France by Argentinian Angel Penna, became the first Gallic scorer,
coming home in the famous blue silks of Daniel Wildenstein. Indeed, Lianga
was the first ever French-trained runner at Haydock Park.
The Sprint Cup was switched from the final day of the season to the
first Saturday in September in 1979 when Double Form, trained by Fulke
Johnson Houghton, was successful. Double Form became the first horse
to win three of Europe's premier sprints - the King's Stand Stakes at
Ascot, the Prix de l'Abbaye at Longchamp, France, and the Sprint Cup
- all in the same season.
Moorestyle in 1980 was another outstanding Sprint Cup winner - subsequently being crowned Horse of the Year - the first sprinter to achieve this accolade since the award was inaugurated in 1965.
Flying filly Habibti, trained by John Dunlop and ridden by Willie Carson, was another impressive winner in 1983 - also being named as Horse of the Year.
Carson was also successful on Boldboy (1977) and Dayjur (1990), making him one of the jockeys who have enjoyed three successes in the Sprint Cup - the others are Lester Piggott and Pat Eddery.
Orojoya in 1985 rewarded the late Robert Sangster, who also served as
a Haydock Park steward, for his sponsorship of the contest when just
prevailing under New Zealand-born Brent Thomson by a short-head from
Primo Dominie.
A unique feature of the Sprint Cup in its formative years had been that it was held on a round course. However, a straight six-furlong course was opened at Haydock Park in 1986 and this has been used ever since.
Michael Stoute and Walter Swinburn teamed up for success in two consecutive
runnings, first with Green Desert (1986) and then Ajdal (1987).
Dowsing, owned by Khalid Abdulla, trained by Jeremy Tree and ridden
by Pat Eddery, became the first winner of the Sprint Cup when it was
upgraded to Group One status in 1988. A year later the same owner, trainer
and jockey teamed up for success again with Danehill, who went on to
terrific success as a stallion both in Europe and Australasia.
Dayjur was another outstanding winner in 1990 and went on to be crowned
European Champion Sprinter that season. After his Haydock success, he
was unlucky to be narrowly defeated in the Breeders' Cup Sprint on dirt
at Belmont Park, USA, after jumping a shadow in the closing stages.
Polar Falcon gave French trainer John Hammond the first of his three successes in 1991 - Hammond enjoyed further victories with Cherokee Rose in 1995 and Nuclear Debate in 2001.
Sheikh Albadou in 1992 improved on Dayjur's effort when he landed both
the Sprint Cup and the Breeders' Cup Sprint, scoring at Churchill Downs.
One of Highclere Thoroughbred Racing's syndicates enjoyed a Group One win in 1998 in the Haydock race with Tamarisk, trained by Roger Charlton, with the Maktoum family's Godolphin operation succeeding with Diktat in 1999.
In addition to John Hammond, three other trainers have enjoyed multiple success in the Betfred Sprint Cup in recent years.
John Dunlop scored with Lavinia Fontana (1995) and Invincible Spirit
(2002), Yorkshireman Tim Easterby triumphed with Pipalong (2000) and
Somnus (2003), while Roger Charlton has also enjoyed a brace of victories
with Tamarisk (1998) and Tante Rose (2004).
Dunlop has won a total of four Betfred Sprint Cups - the Arundel handler's
other winners were Runnett (1981) and Habibti - and he is the race's
most successful trainer.
Somnus came very close to becoming the first dual winner since Be Friendly,
with the tough gelding only finding Tante Rose a short-head too strong
in a thrilling finish in 2004.
Last year's race provided a fairytale success for David Loder in his final season as a trainer, with Goodricke landing the spoils by a length from La Cucaracha.
The 2006 Group One Betfred Sprint Cup, generously sponsored for the first time by the world's largest independent bookmaker, is the highlight of a superb seven-race card at Haydock Park on Saturday, September 2, worth over £480,000 in total prize money.
THE BETFRED SPRINT CUP ROLL OF HONOUR
YEAR HORSE OWNER TRAINER JOCKEY SP AGE/WT RAN TIME/GRND
2005 GOODRICKE Sheikh Mohammed David Loder Jamie Spencer 14/1 3-8-12
17 1m 10.87s (Good)
2004 TANTE ROSE Bjorn Nielsen Roger Charlton Richard Hills 10/1 4-8-11
19 1m 11.58s (Good)
2003 SOMNUS Legard, Sidebottom & Sykes Tim Easterby Ted Durcan 12/1
3-8-12 10 1m 13.49s (Gd/Sft)
2002 INVINCIBLE SPIRIT Prince A A Faisal John Dunlop John Carroll 25/1
5-9-00 14 1m 12.44s (Gd/Fm)
2001 NUCLEAR DEBATE Bob Chester John Hammond FR Gerald Mosse 11/2 6-9-00
12 1m 15.39s (Heavy)
2000 PIPALONG Tom Bennett Tim Easterby Kevin Darley 3/1 4-8-11 13 1m
15.49s (Heavy)
1999 DIKTAT Godolphin Saeed bin Suroor Frankie Dettori 13/8F 4-9-00 16
1m 11.04s (Gd/Fm)
1998 TAMARISK Highclere Thoroughbred Racing Roger Charlton Tim Sprake
13/2 3-8-12 13 1m 10.78s (Good)
1997 ROYAL APPLAUSE Maktoum Al Maktoum Barry Hills Michael Hills 15/8F
4-9-00 9 1m 14.46s (Gd/Sft)
1996 IKTAMAL Maktoum Al Maktoum Ed Dunlop Willie Ryan 10/1 4-9-00 11
1m 09.92s (Gd/Fm)
1995 CHEROKEE ROSE Sheikh Mohammed John Hammond FR Cash Asmussen 5/1
4-8-11 6 1m 13.74s (Good)
1994 LAVINIA FONTANA Cyril Humphries John Dunlop Jason Weaver 11/2 5-8-09
8 1m 11.42s (Good)
1993 WOLFHOUND Sheikh Mohammed John Gosden Michael Roberts 7/2 4-9-09
7 1m 10.98s (Gd/Fm)
1992 SHEIKH ALBADOU Hilal Salem Alex Scott Bruce Raymond 9/4JF 4-9-09
8 1m 14.17s (Soft)
1991 POLAR FALCON David Thompson John Hammond FR Cash Asmussen 13/2 4-9-09
6 1m 11.23s (Gd/Fm)
1990 DAYJUR Hamdan Al Maktoum Dick Hern Willie Carson 1/2F 3-9-06 9 1m
12.50s (Good)
1989 DANEHILL Khalid Abdulla Jeremy Tree Pat Eddery 3/1 3-9-05 9 1m 12.75s
(Gd/Sft)
1988 DOWSING Khalid Abdulla Jeremy Tree Pat Eddery 15/2 4-9-02 10 1m
17.24s (Heavy)
1987 AJDAL Sheikh Mohammed Michael Stoute Walter Swinburn 8/11F 3-9-00
8 1m 14.87s (Good)
1986 GREEN DESERT Maktoum Al Maktoum Michael Stoute Walter Swinburn 5/4F
3-8-12 8 1m 14.82s (Good)
1985 OROJOYA Robert Sangster Jeremy Hindley Brent Thomson 11/1 3-8-12
8 1m 16.24s (Soft)
1984 PETONG Tom Warner Michael Jarvis Bruce Raymond 11/1 4-9-03 9 1m
13.17s (Firm)
1983 HABIBTI M Mutawa John Dunlop Willie Carson 8/13F 3-8-09 6 1m 15.31s
(Good)
1982 INDIAN KING J Levy Guy Harwood Greville Starkey 3/1 4-9-03 9 1m
12.51s (Godd)
1981 RUNNETT Miss V Evans John Dunlop Bruce Raymond 6/1 4-9-03 6 1m 14.14s
(Gd/Fm)
1980 MOORESTYLE Moores Funishings Ltd Robert Armstrong Lester Piggott
8/13F 3-8-12 8 1m 14.81s (Gd/Sft)
1979 DOUBLE FORM Baroness H Thyssen Fulke Johnson Houghton Geoff Lewis
11/4 4-9-08 8 1m 12.72s (Good)
1978 ABSALOM Mrs C Alington Ryan Jarvis Taffy Thomas 20/1 3-9-06 14 1m
17.99s (Yldng)
1977 BOLDBOY Lady Beaverbrook Dick Hern Willie Carson EvensF 7-9-08 7
1m 19.21s (Soft)
1976 RECORD TOKEN Sir H Ingham Peter Walwyn Pat Eddery 3/1F 4-9-08 8
1m 19.50s (Soft)
1975 LIANGA Daniel Wildenstein Angel Penna FR Yves Saint-Martin 2/1F
4-9-07 7 1m 18.61s (Soft)
1974 PRINCELY SON Wilfred Sherman Ken Cundell Johnny Seagrave 8/1 5-9-10
9 1m 21.75s (Heavy)
1973 THE BLUES G van der Ploeg Bill Marshall Richard Marshall 10/1 2-8-00
8 1m 17.10s (Soft)
1972 ABERGWAUN Charles St George Vincent O'Brien IRE Lester Piggott 11/10F
4-9-07 10 1m 16.16s (Soft)
1971 GREEN GOD David Robinson Michael Jarvis Lester Piggott 7/4F 3-9-06
7 1m 15.90s (Good)
1970 GOLDEN ORANGE Lady Clifden Ken Cundell Jimmy Lindley 10/1 4-9-10
5 1m 15.60s (Soft)
1969 TUDOR MUSIC David Robinson Michael Jarvis Frankie Durr 11/4F 3-9-04
11 1m 14.80s (Good)
1968 Meeting Abandoned
1967 BE FRIENDLY Peter O'Sullevan Cyril Mitchell Scobie Breasley 2/1F
3-9-04 9 1m 18.00s (Soft)
1966 BE FRIENDLY Peter O'Sullevan Cyril Mitchell Colin Williams 15/2
2-8-00 15 1m 16.40s (Dead)
Youngest Winners: Be Friendly (1966) and The Blues (1973) were both two-year-olds. The race is now restricted to three-year-olds and upwards.
Oldest Winners: Boldboy (1977) was seven when successful in 1977. In
more recent times, Nuclear Debate (2001) was six.
Age: Overall, four-year-olds have the best record with 18 victories followed by three-year-olds with 14 wins. Three five-year-olds have won, with one win apiece for six and seven-year-olds.
Fastest Winning Time: Iktamal (1m 09.92s) in 1996. This is also the
track record for six furlongs at Haydock.
Biggest Field: 19 in 2004. The current safety limit is 17.
Smallest Field: 5 in 1970.
Biggest-priced winner: Invicible Spirit (25/1) in 2002.
Shortest-priced winner: Dayjur (1/2) in 1990.
ORDER OF RUNNING
First Day - Friday 1st September
2.30pm The Vale UK E.B.F. Maiden Stakes 5f £6,000
3.00pm The Greene King IPA E.B.F. Maiden Stakes 6f £6,000
3.35pm The Vale UK E.B.F. Classified Stakes 6f £15,000
4.05pm The Kings Regiment Cup Handicap Stakes 1m 30yds £10,000
4.40pm The Vale UK Handicap Stakes 1m 4f £10,000
5.10pm The Vale UK Handicap Stakes 1m 2f 120yds £5,000
Second Day - Saturday 2nd September
*1.10pm The Betfred Be Friendly Handicap Stakes 5f £30,000
*1.45pm The betfredpoker.com Old Borough Cup Stakes 1m 6f £80,000
*2.15pm The Betfred Sprint Cup 6f £300,000
2.45pm The Betfred "Treble Odds On All Lucky's" Superior Mile 1m 30yds £40,000
3.15pm The betfredpoker.com Nursery Handicap Stakes 1m 30yds £20,000
3.50pm The betfredcasino.com Median Auction Maiden Stakes 1m 30yds £5,000
4.25pm The Betfred 600 Shops Nationwide Handicap Stakes 1m 2f 120yds £6,000
* BBC Televised Races
