Sprint Cup Stakes (Group 1)

A very competitive Sprint Cup with sixteen runners including three from Ireland.

Favourite Inisherin trained by Kevin Ryan, the mount of Tom Eaves, leads the English challenge. He was a winner of the Commonwealth Cup, restricted to three-year-olds, at Royal Ascot in June from Lake Forrest and Jasour (reopposes here) in June however he failed to justify favoritism when meeting the older generation in the July Cup at Newmarket when only finishing fifth beaten 2¾L behind Mill Stream (who didn’t enhance the form when well beaten in the Prix Maurice de Gheest at Deauville).

Karl Burke runs three in the race. The filly Swingalong with William Buick in the plate ran second in the July Cup. She’d previously finished second in the Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot. Karl also has Elite Status with Clifford Lee on board who runs in the same ownership as Inisherin. He comes into the reckoning having beaten Lake Forest in the G3 Hackwood Stakes at Newbury, form that ties in well with the favourite. He also runs Spycather who won a G3 at Deauville two weeks ago with Ryan Moore now getting the leg up.

Willie Haggas Montassib comes here off the back of an all-weather success in the G3 Chipchase Stakes at Newcastle where he beat the talented Kinross. Cieren Fallon will ride. He also runs Unequal Love with Danny Tudhope on board. She took the Workingham at Royal Ascot before running third at York.

All the above are 6f specialists with Richard Hannon’s Shouldhavebeenaring dropping back having been exposed over 7f when third last time in the G2 City Of York Stakes. Mick Appleby’s Annaf took a big pot over 7f in February in Saudi Arabia but hasn’t been seen since.

The three Irish are of interest here. The race last went to Ireland in 2013 when Gordon lord Byron captured it in 2013.

Adrian Murray’s Bucanero Fuerte, now the mount of David Egan, took the G1 Pheonix Stakes in very good style last year beating Porta Fortuna 4L and then didn’t see out the trip in the National Stakes over 7f when a well-beaten third. He’s only had the one run this year, it was a good one when beating Jessica Harrington’s Givemethebeatboys over 6f in the G3 Lacken Stakes at Naas in May. Jessica’s horse was all the rage going into the Commonwealth Cup but ran a shocker trailing in last. He was then given a break and returned in August to get back on track winning the G3 Phoenix Sprint Stakes at the Curragh beating James Fanshawe’s Kind Of Blue by a head. Shane Foley will ride.

Bucanero Fuerte after winning the Phoenix Stakes last year at the Curragh

Ken Condon’s Moss Tucker won the Flying Five Stakes over Champions Weekend last year having also won G3 Phoenix Sprint Stakes before that. He’s also had a break having won at Listed level in April he was well beaten in the G2 Greenlands Stakes in May. Billy Lee will look to add his Ebor win.

This is open and a case can be made for quite a few of them. Swingalong has been knocking on the door at G1 level. Inisherin could bounce back after disappointing in the July Cup however there’s scope for improvement in the Irish challenge. Moss Tucker might find the trip too sharp while Givemethebeatboys will have grown in confidence after his win at the Curragh it’s Bucanero Fuerte who makes most appeal. He wasn’t extended when beating Givemethebeatboys in May and being a G1 winner as a juvenile he has plenty of potential to develop further this year.

Recommendation

Bucanero Fuerte 12/1 ew