No cross-channel Group One prize has proved more difficult to win for Irish-trained horses than Haydock’s Betfair Sprint Cup, a trend that a trio of raiders from this country will try to halt on Saturday.
Tom Hogan’s wonderful stalwart Gordon Lord Byron is the only horse to successfully raid Haydock’s highlight from Ireland in over half a century. His memorable 2013 success bridged a gap back to Vincent O’Brien’s Abergwaun in 1972.
A bumper field of 16 line up this time including Ken Condon’s admirable sprinter Moss Tucker.
There have been nine three-year-old winners of the race this century and the Irish raiding party also has Jessica Harrington’s Givemethebeatboys and Bucanero Fuerte from the younger brigade.
The latter is making up for lost time having had just a single start this season on the back of a juvenile campaign that saw him secure Group One glory in the Phoenix Stakes.
Bucanero Fuerte’s ownership, Kia Joorabchian’s AMO Racing, were dealt a blow when financial records up to March of last year revealed they had to wipe more than £5 million (approximately €5.9 million) from profits as a result of injuries to some top performers.
It wasn’t even injury that kept Bucanero Fuerte out this summer. Instead, a bout of travel sickness ruined his chance of lining up at Royal Ascot. Having been given plenty of time to recover, he plunges back into the top flight action at Haydock.
“He hasn’t had a run yet since then so he’s pretty fresh and going up against horses who have run and are in form. But we have a very good feeling about his recovery and a very good feeling about how he is training at home,” Joorabchian said this week.
Givemethebeatboys was runner-up to Bucanero Fuerte at Naas in May and narrowly won at the Curragh last month.
In contrast, Moss Tucker has missed a couple of engagements this summer although last year’s Flying Five winner returns to action at Haydock where some suitable ease in the going is forecast.
Yorkshire trainer Karl Burke, successful with Quiet Reflection in 2016, has a strong hand with Elite Status joined by the July Cup runner-up Swingalong and Ryan Moore’s mount Spycatcher. Elite Status’ ownership also has the long-time favourite Inisherin bidding to bounce back from July Cup disappointment.
Earlier on the card, Givemethebeatboys’ rider Shane Foley teams up with John McConnell’s French recruit Caliyza in the Old Borough Handficap.
Twice a winner in France for the Aga Khan, Caliyza last ran in October of last year when out of the money in a Group Three at Saint-Cloud. She races off an official mark of 91.
Elsewhere, trainer Luke W Comer has lodged an appeal against the one-year suspension of his licence by the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board.
The son of billionaire businessman Luke Comer, himself suspended from training by the IHRB for three years, was penalised last week after a referrals panel found he had caused reputational damage to racing arising from decomposed horse carcasses being found on his property in Co Meath. Department of Agriculture inspectors made the grim discovery in 2021.
In March of this year the case was heard in court. Comer said he knew nothing about the matter and co-operated fully with officials. He escaped a conviction and donated €20,000 to the ISPCA. The charges were struck out.
Despite that the IHRB referrals panel concluded Comer’s connection to the discovered carcasses and subsequent media coverage, compounded by the court case, caused significant harm to horseracing’s integrity and reputation.
For its part, the IHRB has also appealed last week’s referrals’ panel decision.
