Saturday's G1 32Red Sprint Cup at Haydock reads more like a past Hollywood blockbuster, with Harry Angel (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) bidding to outshine the likes of Brando (GB) (Pivotal {GB}) and The Tin Man (GB) (Equiano {Fr}) in a fascinating cast. Unlike his doomed namesake played by Mickey Rourke in the 1987 thriller “Angel Heart”, the former proved he was all class when dispatching with Europe's premier sprinting stars in Newmarket's G1 July Cup. That authoritative dismissal of Limato (Ire) (Tagula {Ire}), Brando and Caravaggio (Scat Daddy) in the July 15 showdown placed him at the top of the pile for an equine academy award in this category, but he has an entirely different role to play here with abundant rain forecast. “The ground is going to be easier than Harry Angel has encountered so far this year, but he won on proper autumn ground in the G2 Mill Reef S. at Newbury last year,” trainer Clive Cox commented. “He broke the course record at Haydock earlier this season, but the ground there can get very soft when it rains. I hope that they don't get too much rain, but it will be the same situation for all the runners and I couldn't be happier with the form that Harry Angel is in.” Cox warned on Friday that further rain may jeopardise the prospect of Harry Angel running. “We are obviously very much watching the situation. We are hoping and praying it will be fine,” he added. “I'm pleased [jockey] Adam Kirby has rides in the previous races, as he can get a feel for the ground. We are very much keen to run, but if it were to turn heavy, that might raise a question. The horse is in excellent form, though, and we will see what happens with the weather.”
Sharpened by his comeback third in the July Cup, Angie Bailey's Brando went to France to demonstrate his own prowess by winning Deauville's G1 Prix Maurice de Gheest over 6 1/2 furlongs last time on Aug. 6. His ability to handle easy ground was proven in last year's G3 Sandown Sprint S. and Ayr Gold Cup and connections are hopeful the wet weather will bring him closer to Harry Angel. “Brando apparently ran the last three furlongs of the July Course in the fastest time since records began,” owner Peter Tingey said. “Tom [Eaves] did the right thing in following Caravaggio, who was red-hot going into the race, but in hindsight if we'd been following something else we might have got closer to Harry Angel. It's not going to be easy and Harry Angel is the one to beat, but I think they will be as worried about Brando as we are about Harry Angel. I think his win at Deauville last time was probably his best performance yet. There are not many Group 1s where you see a jockey able to take a tug on a horse a furlong and a half out. That to me reflects just how well he is at present and if Kevin [Ryan] can turn him out in the same sort of shape, which I'm sure he will, then we've got to have a serious chance. He does act on fast ground, but he's better on softer.”
Another for whom soft ground holds no fears is The Tin Man, who displayed his versatility when beating Shadwell's May 17 G2 Duke of York S. winner Tasleet (GB) (Showcasing {GB}) on good-to-firm going in Royal Ascot's G1 Diamond Jubilee S. on June 24. That followed his previous success at that venue in the G1 Qipco British Champions Sprint S. and he has to prove he is not just an Ascot specialist as he bids to rebound from a disappointing eighth in the July Cup. Trainer James Fanshawe is hopeful he can get back to form here. “I don't think he wants extremes of going, but he is in good form. I don't want to make excuses for his last run when obviously he didn't run so well. We just want to get him back on track.”
'TDN Rising Star' Blue Point (Ire) (Shamardal) is the freshest of all the main players, having been absent since his third behind Caravaggio and Harry Angel in the G1 Commonwealth Cup over this trip at Royal Ascot on June 23. Last year's G2 Gimcrack S. winner and G1 Middle Park S. runner-up had previously beaten Harry Angel on favourable terms in the G3 Pavilion S. at Ascot on May 3, but is a notch below the fellow Godolphin representative and trainer Charlie Appleby is in the dark about ground conditions. “Blue Point enjoyed a nice break after Royal Ascot and I couldn't have been more pleased with his preparation,” he said. “Ideally, we would want to be racing on a sounder surface but that can be unlikely at this time of year. We will be wiser after the event but, if he can handle the ground, then he should have a great chance.”
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