The Betfred Sprint Cup (updates, etc)

[my miss storm cat]

Iffraaj to run this weekend in one or the other?

Be still my heart.

From RP...

Iffraaj and Reverence favourites for Sprint
by Rodney Masters

IFFRAAJ and Reverence were on Monday installed 7-2 joint-favourites with the sponsors for the Group 1 Betfred Sprint Cup at Haydock on Saturday, although the former will only take his chance if the ground is not too testing.

Haydock’s clerk of the course, Kirkland Tellwright, said on Monday that showers were forecast throughout the week and, if the weather experts had read their charts accurately, the going will ride good to soft for the £300,000 contest.

“There’ll be plenty of showers about, and if one misses us the next will more than likely hit us,” said Tellwright. “At this stage, I’d anticipate the ground will be good to soft.”

Godolphin’s racing manager Simon Crisford said good to soft would not be ideal for comprehensive Lennox Stakes winner Iffraaj, but may just about be tolerable.

“We’re going to have to keep a close eye on the ground at Haydock this week and make sure it’s within acceptable limits,” Crisford said.

“Iffraaj is also in the Prix du Moulin at Longchamp on Sunday, but our original plan was not to step himup to a mile until he went to the Breeders’ Cup, with a run over seven furlongs somewhere beforehand.

“Under the circumstances, we favour Haydock, but the ground mustn’t be too testing and the weather charts I’ve seen for the Manchester area aren’t encouraging.”

However, the forecast will cheer Eric Alston, whose easy ground specialist Reverence aims to tack on another Group 1 to his gains in last week’s Nunthorpe Stakes at York. Alston said: “He's in terrific order - he was bucking andkicking the morning after York. We live not 20 miles from Haydock and we had a lot of rain last night, so the ground doesn't look as if it is going to be a problem.”

Hughie Morrison’s Baltic King, a Listed winner at Beverley on Sunday but yet to scoreafter 11 attempts at Group level, is a 12-1 chance.

Tim Easterby’s Somnus, winner of the corresponding event in 2003, is 16-1. Easterby has been pleased with Somnus’s progress of late and said: “If it's heavy ground on Saturday he'll run well but I don't know who'll ride him.”

Easterby has a second possible representative in Fayr Jag (33-1). In all, there were 20 horses confirmed at the five-day stage.

Michael Halford intends to watch the weather before sending Miss Sally from the Curragh.

Hesaid: “We left her in as the ground over there is currently good to soft I believe. We’ll see what the week brings weather wise and all that but if she worked well and the ground goes soft there is every chance she’ll travel as she is best with a good cut.”

Aidan O’Brien declared Tipperary maiden winner Chief Crazy Horse, but said: “We left him in and will decide later in the week but it just might be a step forward too soon for him.”