Kinross aiming to reclaim Champions Sprint crown

horse racing

Edged out last year, popular runner is back for more at Ascot.

Kinross has the chance to prove age is just a number and keep Ralph Beckett and Rossa Ryan’s hot streak going when he attempts to regain the Qipco British Champions Sprint Stakes at Ascot.

The Kimpton Down stalwart took home this prize as the final leg of a fantastic four-timer during his brilliant 2022 campaign and was the 5-4 favourite to retain his crown when thwarted by a neck in the race 12 months ago.

The evergreen seven-year-old is amongst the leading protagonists once again having won the Park Stakes at Doncaster in September before going down valiantly to an on-song Ramatuelle in the Prix de la Foret earlier this month.

Those performances prove Kinross is still firing on all cylinders and his Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe-winning rider is once again looking forward to being aboard Marc Chan’s popular gelding.

“He ran a super race in France and he just bumped into a really good filly,” said Ryan, who has partnered Kinross on all but one occasion this season following Frankie Dettori’s relocation to America.

“When the ground goes that bad on Arc day and it’s one of the last races, giving all the weight away was a big ask, especially in his older days.

“If he is going to Ascot, he will be 110 per cent right, he’s that sort of customer and he won’t be turning up just to make up the numbers.

“All credit has to go to Ralph and the team, they are the ones who deserve all the praise, as they are the ones to have wrapped him up in cotton wool – and he still hasn’t lost his mojo and it’s great to see.”

Kinross (right) had to settle for second last year
Kinross (right) had to settle for second last year (John Walton/PA)

Tim Easterby’s reopposing Art Power denied Kinross in 2023, but it is William Haggas’ Sprint Cup champion Montassib who Ryan sees as the main danger, while also giving a nod to Mick Appleby’s Annaf, a horse he knows well having ridden him to a valuable sprint win in Saudi Arabia in February.

“It’s an open division, but I think we all might have to do a bit to get to Montassib, as I was very taken by him in the Haydock sprint,” continued Ryan.

“I also wouldn’t rule out Annaf and I know it’s going to be testing, but I wouldn’t be ruling him out easily to be in the frame. He’s a good horse and you could argue he’s needed his first two runs back. There’s an engine in there but we will see.”

Montassib is one of two in the race for the Somerville Lodge team, with the Haydock hero joined by Wokingham scorer Unequal Love, who was behind her stablemate in third on Merseyside last month.

Haggas said: “Montassib ran well at Haydock. I just can’t get him, really. Since I dropped him back to six, he’s been very good, but he keeps pricking his ears when he gets to the front and you always think when they do that, they have a bit left. I don’t know how much left there is.

Montassib scooped top honours at Haydock
Montassib scooped top honours at Haydock (Mike Egerton/PA)

“Unequal Love ran a great race at Haydock. I’d be concerned about really soft ground for her, but she’s got nothing else, she’s going to stay in training, so she’s going to run whatever. Hopefully it will be fun.”

Joining Unequal Love in donning the Cheveley Park Stud silks is John and Thady Gosden’s Lockinge winner Audience, who drops back in trip, while splitting the Haggas duo at Haydock in the Sprint Cup was Kind Of Blue, who has been knocking on the door in some of the season’s biggest sprint events.

The son of Blue Point makes his first start for new owners Wathnan Racing and is bidding to become trainer James Fanshawe’s third winner of the race.

“Kind Of Blue is out of a sister to Deacon Blues, who won the first Qipco British Champions Sprint, and a half-sister to The Tin Man, who won the race in 2016,” explained Fanshawe.

“They were both four-year-olds when they won the race and Kind Of Blue is only three but he’s by Blue Point and a big, strong colt, hopefully with a bright future.”

Mill Stream won the July Cup at Newmarket
Mill Stream won the July Cup at Newmarket (David Davies for the Jockey Club/PA)

Jane Chapple-Hyam elected to miss the Haydock Group One with July Cup winner Mill Stream, a decision that could be vindicated when he makes his first start since August in the hands of William Buick.

She said: “I think his form is as good as any and he goes there in very good order. He’ll be doing his best and I think he’s good value.

“We are lucky to have William again. He’s my super-sub. He came in for Saffron Beach and he’s come in for Mill Stream. We call him when we need him!”

Karl Burke saddled Spycatcher and Swingalong to finish third and fourth respectively last year and both are back for another crack at the six-furlong contest, joined by stablemate Elite Status, twice a winner at Newbury this season.

The latter will be ridden by Clifford Lee, who is hopeful of a big performance following a recent gallop at Southwell.

He said: “Elite Status has been a great horse for the stable this year and he is going there in top form.

“He went to Southwell for a gallop last week just to blow the cobwebs out and he’s in good order.

“The ground at Haydock last time was probably too soft and I hope it’s not too soft again on Saturday. The way it’s looking, that could be the case and we just hope he will run well.”

Flying the flag for France is Yann Barberot’s ultra-consistent Beauvatier, who drops back in trip having finished a place behind Kinross in third at ParisLongchamp earlier this month.

Meanwhile, representing Ireland is Ken Condon’s Moss Tucker and Adrian Murray’s Bucanero Fuerte, with the latter hoping to regain the form that saw him scoop Group One honours at two.

“He’s in good order, two weeks ago he was in some serious order and hopefully he’s as good as he was then,” said Murray.

“We were all saying that if the race was two weeks ago, he’d have been in serious nick, but he’s still in good form and hopefully he’ll run a big race.

“The five furlongs was just a bit sharp for him (last time out), he was on his head, and the stiff six would suit him better. He won’t mind the ground at all, he’s won on that before.”

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