Ascot preview: British Champions Sprint (13.20)
Published:
David Metcalf | October 16, 2015
Muhaarar can confirm his position at the top of the sprinting tree by landing the Group 1 British Champions Sprint at Ascot (13.20).
The Charlie Hills trained colt has won six of his 10 starts and burst onto the sprinting scene when putting in a stunning performance to land the inaugural running of the Group 1 Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot.
After travelling strongly in midfield in a race run at a searing gallop, Muhaarar made good headway two from from before talking up the running at the furlong marker and quickening clear to beat some top class rivals by 3 1/2 lengths.
It was an effort which suggested the three-year-old was right of the top drawer, and that view was confirmed when Muhaarar followed-up with a nose success over his elders in the Group 1 July Cup at Newmarket.
The son of Oasis Dream then became the first British-trained horse in 25 years to complete a hat-trick of Group 1 sprints with a gutsy 1/2 length success over the very smart Esoterique in the Prix Maurice de Gheest at Deauville.
The last horse to complete such a feat was the mighty Dayjur who, like Muhaarar, was owned by Hamdan Al Maktoum.
It’s an achievement which marks Muhaarar out as something special, and an official rating of 121 gives him 4lb and upwards in hand on his rivals.
Twilight Son is unbeaten in five starts, and looks the one most likely to give Muhaarar most to think about.
The Henry Candy trained colt looked a smart sprinter in the making when easily winning both starts as a juvenile, and confirmed that impression when bolting up on his seasonal reappearance at Newmarket.
Twilight Son travelled strongly in midfield, and after making good headway a furlong from home quickened clear under a hands and heels ride to score by two lengths.
The three-year-old scored with tons more in hand than the winning margin suggests, and made light of an 1llb rise in the weights when impressively landing a highly competitive handicap at York.
Twilight Son was the pitched into Group 1 company and showed a game attitude to hang on and score by a nose in the Sprint Cup at Haydock.
It was an excellent effort for one so inexperienced, and although this demands much more Twlight Son remains open to further progress and now gets the services in the saddle of Ryan Moore for the first time.
Related
Check out all the latest racing from Ascot.
Coral’s top tip: Muhaarar has developed into a sprinting superstar and rates a solid bet to make it four Group 1 wins on the bounce.
