John Ingles provides an overview of the key things to note on Saturday.
Who will follow in Bow Echo’s hoofprints?
Bow Echo was the winner of last year’s Ascendant Stakes (13:55) at Haydock and sponsors Betfair provide a reminder of the recently retired star miler’s achievement twelve months ago in the naming of this year’s renewal of the listed contest. What is for sure is that whichever horse adds his name to Bow Echo’s on the race’s roll of honour will have to handle considerably softer ground than the future 2000 Guineas winner did last year.
A couple of those with the ‘Horse In Focus’ flag look the pair to concentrate on, and First Law looks a good candidate to leave his debut form behind for ‘Hot Trainer’ Charlie Appleby as he also has the ‘large P’ on his rating. Costing a million guineas as a yearling, the son of Too Darn Hot overcame inexperience to make a winning debut in a slowly-run four-runner maiden at Sandown last month when beating Flight Tracker, who has run well since, by a head.
But First Law might have to settle for second behind Rocket Boy, he too a Royal Lodge entry for a ‘Hot Trainer’, Marco Botti. He also made a successful start to his career in a slowly-run race, a novice at Yarmouth in July, but sets a useful standard as he has since finished a close third at listed level in the Stonehenge Stakes at Salisbury behind First Law’s stablemate Quest For Stars. Rocket Boy found himself much further back than the first two, still looking inexperienced, but closed all the way to the line. With the prospect of more to come, he looks the answer.
Gethin worth another chance back at Kempton
It may not have escaped your notice that Constitution Hill lines up as one of seven declared for the September Stakes (14:50) at Kempton, but leaving all of this week’s hype aside, the cold hard facts are that he comes out bottom-rated on Timeform weight-adjusted ratings. This Group 3 contest certainly promises to be a much sterner test than the two novices he won earlier in the year, though the ‘large P’ on his rating indicates that he could well improve his rating markedly taking on better opposition.
Winning is another matter, though, and Constitution Hill might have his work cut out just to pick up some place money behind Gethin who looks capable of bouncing back. Owen Burrows’ four-year-old returns to a longer trip, drops back in grade and is back at the scene of his successful reappearance. That came in the listed Magnolia Stakes in April before he improved again to run Ombudsman to a neck in the Brigadier Gerard Stakes at Sandown, albeit in receipt of 7 lb from that top-class rival.
Gethin was reckoned to be one of the main dangers to odds-on Constitution River in the Eclipse at Sandown last time only to disappoint under firmer conditions than he’d faced before, but circumstances look right for him to resume on an upward curve here. Pride of Arras, runner-up to Item in the York Stakes last time (before having to be withdrawn at the start of the Juddmonte International won by the same rival) can boast smart form, though, and so too can Tornado Alert who ran a belter in Germany last time on his return from a lengthy absence.
Another Sprint Cup for Ed Bethell?
Whose turn will be it in a Group 1 sprint this time? Sprinting honours have been spread around this season, and despite a smaller field than usual with American Affair’s defection leaving just eight, the Sprint Cup (15:40) at Haydock looks an open contest with only 7 lb covering the whole field on Timeform ratings. Heavy ground could be a complicating factor too, and while last year’s first two Big Mojo and Kind of Blue lock horns again, conditions were much firmer twelve months ago.
The Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes winner Almeraq comes out narrowly top in the ratings so it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him leave his July Cup effort behind which was the first backward step of his career. He has winning form under softer conditions, though heavy will be an unknown. Close behind in the ratings is Marvelman who was a good third in the City of York Stakes last time after travelling well in the lead for a long way so will be interesting back down in trip.
However, Paborus is another bang there on form and as a five-year-old with not too many miles on the clock, he’s certainly one that can be made a case for. His trainer Ed Bethell won the 2023 Sprint Cup with Regional who’s at least as effective at five furlongs, whereas Paborus has more stamina, having raced mainly at seven furlongs, which should come in handy in the testing conditions. Paborus was behind Marvelman at York last time, though looked like finishing a lot closer than he eventually did for a long way. However, on his only other start this season, in the Chipchase Stakes at Newcastle, he looked better than ever after a year off and dropping back to sprinting for the first time. He got the better of Marvelman by a length and a half in receipt of 5 lb on that occasion which gives him every chance here and he has winning form on soft ground on turf.
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