Saturday's G1 Betfair Sprint Cup at Haydock will be the poorer for the absence of Advertise (GB) (Showcasing {GB}) and Ten Sovereigns (Ire) (No Nay Never) after a mixture of ill fortune and soft ground forced the multiple Group 1-winning 3-year-olds out of action. Advertise's trainer Martyn Meade revealed on Friday that he had withdrawn the June 21 G1 Commonwealth Cup and Aug. 4 G1 Prix Maurice de Gheest winner and likely favourite due to a dirty scope.
“Advertise returned a bad scope this morning and we had no alternative but to withdraw him,” he explained. “It's not serious and he should be fine in a week, but we can't take any chances. It's disappointing he can't run at Haydock, but there's nothing we can do about it–that's horses for you.”
With the ground riding testing at the Merseyside venue, Ten Sovereigns was duly removed from the equation as Aidan O'Brien had stated he would be earlier in the week. “We didn't want to run him on soft ground,” the Ballydoyle handler said on Friday. “We were hoping it wouldn't be, but they got more rain there today. He'll probably go into quarantine now for Australia.”
In the absence of the two peers Khaadem (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) is the possible market leader. On the back of Shadwell's York glory, Charlie Hills bids to provide Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum's operation with another top-level sprinting success after his authoritative win in Goodwood's prestigious Stewards' Cup Aug. 3. Interestingly, Khaadem was runner-up to Waldpfad (Ger) (Shamardal) in Newbury's G3 Hackwood S. also over this trip July 20 but his trainer said he believes he has progressed in the interim period.
“He's doing great. I've been very pleased with him,” Hills said. “He's come on a good bit for Goodwood and everyone is very happy with him. The ground shouldn't be a problem, I wouldn't have thought. I don't think there's a huge amount of rain forecast.”
Ahead of Khaadem when third behind Advertise in the Commonwealth Cup when last seen at Royal Ascot, Jaber Abdullah's Hello Youmzain (Fr) (Kodiac {GB}) has the G2 Criterium de Maisons-Laffitte and G2 Sandy Lane S. to his tally and rates a live contender coming here fresh. Kevin Ryan has three engaged including last year's runner-up Brando (GB) (Pivotal {GB}) and said, “They are all in good form. They will all go on the softish ground. It's a tough race, but we're happy with them going into it. It was always the plan to wait for Haydock with Hello Youmzain after Ascot. He ran a great race when third in the Commonwealth Cup after missing the break.”
Like Hello Youmzain, the Phoenix Ladies Syndicate's Forever In Dreams (Ire) (Dream Ahead) is also out for the first time since the Commonwealth Cup, where she was a surprise second having won the Listed Cecil Frail S. over this course and distance May 25. “We gave her a little break after Ascot. She deserved it really,” trainer Aidan Fogarty commented. “She's only a 3-year-old filly so we thought we'd do that. She's been in super form since. She seems well, so we're hoping for the best. She's taking on the older sprinters, but she's there with her chance. The form of the Commonwealth Cup is living up.”
Of the older brigade, the June 22 G1 Diamond Jubilee S. runner-up Dream of Dreams (Ire) (Dream Ahead) stands out, but he has to put a subsequently disappointing effort behind him when 10th in the G1 July Cup at Newmarket July 13. Saeed Manana's mercurial Invincible Army (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) is tried in cheekpieces for the first time by trainer James Tate and if he can reproduce his best form after a disappointing 13th in the Maurice de Gheest he could feature. “He's in very good form,” Tate said. “It's finally nice to be going into a Group 1 with him on some some soft ground, which we think he likes. He's got a pair of cheekpieces just to give him a bit of confidence as well. Things didn't happen for him at Deauville. It was fast ground and he got a bump when he was challenging. His last piece of work was the best he's done all year, so we're very hopeful.”
In the absence of Ten Sovereigns, Ryan Moore partners up with 'TDN Rising Star' Fairyland (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) who has one of these big sprints in her as she showed when third in the July Cup. Aidan O'Brien said he believes last year's G1 Cheveley Park S. winner had an excuse for her latest 10th in the Aug. 23 G1 Nunthorpe S. “She was loaded very early in York, got upset and banged her head and it was swollen when she pulled up,” he explained. “That was the reason, we think, for that disappointing run, but she seems to be in good form since.”
Also at Haydock, the Listed Ascendant S. sees Centurion Thoroughbreds' Sound of Cannons (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) look to step up off his debut success in the “Frankel maiden” at Newmarket Aug. 16. Kempton's fixture features the G3 September S. and while there is no Enable-Crystal Ocean stand-off as there was 12 months ago, Godolphin's triple Group 1 winner Best Solution (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) is making his belated seasonal bow having last been seen finishing eighth in the Nov. 6 G1 Melbourne Cup.
“He had a great season last year, but also a very tough season so we gave him a long break and this is just a start back for him,” trainer Saeed bin Suroor said of the reigning G1 Caulfield Cup hero. “The last time he worked on the Watered gallop in Newmarket, I was really pleased. He's in good condition, this is the start for him before we begin to look at Group 1s again. He's not going to Australia this year–we'll just keep all our options open.”
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