Harry Angel is back to defend his Haydock Sprint Cup crown after missing the defence of his July Cup title due to a messy injury sustained in the stalls at Royal Ascot.
Despite boasting the track record at Haydock and being very ground versatile, the question marks over his antics at the start dampen any appeal around his skinny price, which is worth taking on if we can identify the right type of horse.
It was heavy ground last season when Harry Angel blew away his older rivals, from which he was receiving 2lb and also got a fairly soft lead, so there are chinks in his armour.
Three-year-olds – including Harry Angel last season – have an excellent record in this race as the softer ground exaggerates their weight-for-age allowances – it’s harder to carry weight in softer ground – so they surely have the best chance of causing an upset over the older generation.
Those hot summer days are behind us as we head into the Autumn of this flat campaign, and there’s been plenty of rain at Haydock so a horse that appreciates some cut is essential – this race is a graveyard for top-of-the-ground sprinters.
The short-list is two long.
Firstly, Greenham Stakes winner James Garfield proved he’s a sprinter of Group One class when narrowly getting outstayed by Polydream in an extended six-and-a-half furlongs at Deauville.
The way that race was run was a clear indication that six furlongs is his optimum trip, so it’s no surprise to see him dropped back to six after testing the waters at a mile or seven.
He’s not raced on anything worse than good-to-soft, but he is proven with cut and is clearly still improving, despite his form tailing off in his next few starts since winning the Greenham.
Connections have concluded he seems to run better fresh so the 34-day break since France works nicely and he has every chance at an appealing 10/1.
However, the other one I like is EQTIDAAR for Sir Michael Stoute and Jim Crowley, who is more than twice the price at 25/1 in places.
He won the Commonwealth Cup, which usually suggests he’s top of the three-year-old sprinting pile, but a flat run at Newmarket in the July Cup has seen him – and his generation – written off as a bad bunch, with second home Sands Of Mali also available at 20/1.
I’ve been swayed by recent comments by connections that the horse is really maturing now, and juice in the ground is what they’ve been wanting, which his pedigree also suggests.
It’s telling that Jim Crowley picks him over an old favourite of ours in Tasleet, who was second in three Group One sprints last season and also prefers soft ground, so there are plenty of positives and he looks overpriced.
1pt win Eqtidaar @25/1, 16:15 Haydock, Saturday
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