 |
|
|
|
|
Betfred Sprint Cup 2009 |
Haydock Park’s New Era for Sprint Cup
29/08/09
Haydock Park, the premier Northern Flat and Jump racecourse confirms today that it will be using the newly created Flat Track for the Group 1 Betfred Sprint Cup on September 5th 2009. The award-winning venue is investing £2.5 million in a five-year track re-development project to produce two Flat Courses as well as Chase and Hurdle Tracks.
Kirkland Tellwright, Clerk of the Course, said, “The new sprint flat course has been successfully tested on a couple of racedays and received favourable reviews from jockeys and trainers. The development of this new Flat Track gives us flexibility and this year’s Betfred Sprint Cup will be run on fresh ground on a free-draining track.”
The Sprint Cup is the feature race of Haydock Park’s flat season, for three-year-old and upwards with a prize fund of £300,000, attracting the very best 6 furlong horses from across the world. Previous winners, some becoming successful stallions, have been ‘Green Desert’, ‘Danehill’, ‘Dayjur’, ‘Polar Falcon’, ‘Sheikh Albadou’, ‘Royal Applause’, ‘Wolfhound’, ‘Diktat’, and ‘Invincible Sprit’. It was first run in 1966 and was originally run on the last day of the season in November, switching to September in 1979. Two-year-olds were eligible to run in the race prior to 1980, with both ‘Be Friendly’ (1966) and ‘The Blues’ (1973) winning as juveniles. Before the opening of the straight 6 furlongs at Haydock Park in 1986, the race was run on the round course. The Sprint Cup was promoted to Group 1 status in 1988.
