Sprint Cup Preview: Tasleet to open his Group 1 tally

The last three renewals of the Sprint Cup have been run with the word ‘soft’ in the going description – on the Timeform scale at least, which can differ to official going reports – and last year’s race was staged on the softest surface since the Eric Alston-trained Reverence followed up his Nunthorpe victory in 2006. The current going at Haydock is reported to be good, good-to-soft in places, but with more rain forecast between now and the latest renewal of the track’s most prestigious Flat race, it looks like conditions could be fairly testing come 2.25pm on Saturday.

Harry Angel is the current market-leader on the back of his comfortable victory in the July Cup at Newmarket (by a length and a quarter from Limato) last time. He never looked in much danger once taking over in front off a slow gallop to gain the Group 1 success his record deserved there, but it was at least evidence of his growing maturity that he made it look so straightforward and – highly impressive when winning the Sandy Lane Stakes over this C&D (by four and a half lengths from Second Thought, breaking the track record) in May – he looks sure to go well if handling the likely soft surface here.

Three-year-olds have won four of the last six renewals of this race and, with Caravaggio taken out of the race at the latest declaration stage, it is left to Blue Point and Queen Kindly to join Harry Angel as the most interesting members of their generation in the line-up. Blue Point looked every inch a high-class sprinter in his own right when a length and a quarter third behind Caravaggio and Harry Angel in the Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot, but he has been off the track since and needs to prove his effectiveness on this surface, while last year’s Lowther Stakes winner Queen Kindly, who is out of the 2010 runner-up in this race, Lady of the Desert, needs to step up significantly on the form of her recent listed victory at Pontefract.

The Kevin Ryan-trained Amadeus Wolf finished strongly to snatch third behind Reverence 11 years ago, and his trainer will be hoping be to go two places better with Brando this time round. Last year’s Ayr Gold Cup winner shaped better than the bare result when third in the July Cup – forced to deliver his challenge from further back than ideal and doing well under the circumstances to be beaten just a length and three quarters – before gaining a first Group 1 victory in the Prix Maurice de Gheest at Deauville (by half a length from Aclaim) last time. He caught the eye with how powerfully he travelled through the race that day and looks a leading contender if arriving in the same mood, with his proven form on soft ground a plus.

The Tin Man and Tasleet both ran below expectations in the July Cup, but had previously shown themselves to be much better than that when first and second, respectively, in the Diamond Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot (Limato third) in June. It would be no surprise were Tasleet to reverse the placings from the Royal meeting here, having endured a troubled passage on that occasion, forced to wait for a gap two-out and then keeping on well when receiving a bump deep inside the final furlong. He was considered an unlucky loser by some on the day and, having sluiced through the soft ground when winning the Duke of York Stakes (by two and a half lengths from Magical Memory) in May, Tasleet could well be up to winning this Group 1 prize if resuming his progress; a distinct possibility given how few tries he has had as a sprinter compared to most in this field.

Recommendation:

Back Tasleet at 13/2 in Saturday's Haydock Sprint Cup