With the ground currently good and only a small amount of rain forecast, Henry Candy has Limato (Ire) (Tagula {Ire}) on stand-by for the G1 QIPCO British Champions Sprint at Ascot on Saturday. Originally intended for the Breeders' Cup following his scintillating victory in the G1 Qatar Prix de la Foret at Chantilly, Candy is keeping his options open with the prospect of good ground in store. “I think we'll have to hang on as long as we can with him. If the ground stays good then he'll run, but there is a bit of rain forecast on Friday into Saturday and if it turned soft we would have to take him out.” Candy feels Limato is able to stand a more rigorous schedule of racing than in his younger days and is not concerned about the two week gap between races. “He's changed completely and takes his races so much better now,” he said. “There wasn't much of him when he was two and three and he got beat in the Foret last year because I'd run him at Doncaster just a fortnight before, but this spring he really grew into himself,” Candy added. Should he line up Limato will face some formidable sprinters, none more so than the two fillies Quiet Reflection (GB) (Showcasing {GB}) and Mecca's Angel (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}). John Gosden's 3-year-old Shalaa (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) is another intriguing contender having made a successful comeback from injury recently while the likes of Washington DC (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}) and The Tin Man (GB) (Equiano {Fr}) add further strength in depth to the field of 17 that remain.
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