Test Of A Champion
Despite a unique and demanding treble of victories in the G1 Commonwealth Cup, G1 July Cup and G1 Prix Maurice de Gheest, there is a feeling that Muhaarar (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}) must win Saturday’s G1 Qipco British Champions Sprint S. at Ascot to truly reign in his category. Unbeaten this term bar a failed attempt at a mile when eighth in the G1 Poule d’Essai des Poulains at Longchamp May 10, Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum’s homebred has a rival with a perfect record to overcome in Twilight Son (GB) (Kyllachy {GB}) if he is to clinch honors. With the classy Limato (Ire) (Tagula {Ire}) behind in the Commonwealth Cup June 19 and subsequent dual Group 1 winner Esoterique (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}) in arrears in the Maurice de Gheest at Deauville last time Aug. 9, the bay has already done a great deal to ensure he will be in demand when sent to stud after this race. “I definitely think physically he has done well for the break. His weight is a lot higher than when he last ran,” trainer Charlie Hills commented. “He’s got a huge amount of talent as well and we know he likes Ascot. I’m looking forward to running him over a stiff six again.”
Henry Candy has opted to send Godfrey Wilson and Cheveley Park Stud’s Sept. 5 G1 Haydock Sprint Cup winner Twilight Son into battle again after his short-head defeat of Muhaarar’s stable companion Strath Burn (GB) (Equine {Fr}) there. “We still don’t know how good he is, with him being unbeaten,” Cheveley Park’s Chris Richardson said of the sophomore, whose previous form was in handicaps. “Henry has been very happy with him since Haydock and all we can hope is that he gets there in similar form. It’s obviously a very competitive race, but so was Haydock. He has a huge amount of ability and we hope he shows it once more.”
Strath Burn was 33-1 for the Sprint Cup, despite his prior win in the G3 Hackwood S. over this trip at Newbury July 18, and Charlie Hills is not discounting another major effort from Qatar Racing’s colorbearer. “He is a horse that’s going to get better with age, but he could run a really big race on Saturday,” he said. “He’s improving. They never work together at all, so I don’t know how they compare. With Strath Burn, whatever he does this year is going to be a huge bonus.”
Also in the mix is last year’s winner Gordon Lord Byron (Ire) (Byron {GB}), who was a below-par sixth in the G1 Prix de la Foret over seven furlongs at Longchamp 13 days ago having been a close-up third in the Maurice de Gheest, and the supplemented The Tin Man (GB) (Equiano {Fr}). So impressive when winning a competitive course-and-distance handicap 15 days ago, the half-brother to the 2011 winner of this, Deacon Blues (GB) (Compton Place {GB}), has to improve, but James Fanshawe is a master of bringing his type of sprinter on. “We thought long and hard about what to do, but the horse is in great form and the ground looks like it is going to be drying out a bit, which should suit him,” he said. “You can never gauge things too much at home, because he is so laid-back. I won this race four years ago with his half-brother, Deacon Blues, and the pair are similar in the way that they travel through their races and quicken up. The Tin Man has a bit to find to achieve what Deacon Blues did, but he’s improving all the time.”