Super Sprint target for Soldierpoy

Tom Clover eyeing lucrative Newbury prize for Thirsk scorer.

Soldierpoy will bid to continue his fine start to the season by striking gold in the Weatherbys Super Sprint at Newbury later this month.

Trainer Tom Clover, who sent out nine winners from 27 runners in June, has earmarked the five-furlong dash on July 19 as the next target for the Sepoy gelding.

Soldierpoy confirmed the promise of his debut second at Windsor by going one better on his most recent start at Thirsk last Monday.

Clover said: “All being well Soldierpoy will go to the Super Sprint at Newbury – he was purchased with that in mind.

“He has always been a strong little horse and it was great to see him win up at Thirsk the other day. Ben (Curtis) said he hit the front sooner than he wanted as he doesn’t do a tap in front.

“The third from his Windsor run, Furlong Factor, has since won at Chepstow and speaking to the Middleham Park boys they like Tatsthewaytodoit, who he beat at Thirsk.

“He will get 8st 6lb at Newbury, which is ideal, and the style of the race will suit him as they go hard from the start and he is a strong traveller.”

Although Clover – who sent out Declarationoflove to finish second in the race in 2017 – has made flying start to the new campaign, he believes victory in such a race would represent something of a milestone result.

He added: “When you only have a small team like ours, trying to get prize-money on the board can be hard, so to have a runner in a race like this is great.

“While we are trying to up our quality when we buy yearlings, we do look at ones we can run in races like this. It is great sport for the syndicate that own him as well.

“Win, lose or draw, as a GBP 7,000 purchase he has done his job already by winning a race, but it would be lovely if he could win a big one.”

Improving stayer Holy Kingdom could attempt to make it a hat-trick of wins for the season in the bet365 Trophy at Newmarket on Friday.

Clover said: “Holy Kingdom is entered at Newmarket. Whether he goes, we have just got to wait and see, as it would be three runs in the space of about five weeks, which is quite a lot for a staying horse.

“He seems very well. We’ve not done a lot of training as he doesn’t need to, but he has put his racing weight back on.”

A tilt at the Sky Bet Ebor at York could be on the agenda for Holy Kingdom should he continue his winning run on his next start.

“In previous years you need to be about 103 to get into the Ebor. He is off 96 at the moment and if he won and went up to 102 there is no guarantee he would get in,” the trainer added.

“If he did go up to a mark like that, the Ebor would have to come onto the radar.”

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