The Super Sprint Trophy is a flat horse race held at Newbury for two-year-old thoroughbreds and was first run in 1991.
The race is currently restricted to horses sold as yearlings at Weatherbys sales for 37,000 guineas or less before July 1st, or 40,000 guineas or less after June 30th. The weights carried are determined by the sale price of the horses, with one pound deducted for each 2,500 guineas below 40,000.
The Weatherbys Super Sprint quite often produces a fairytale story and it will be interesting to see who comes out on top at Newbury on Saturday. In 2016, Mrs Danvers attracted not one sales bid at a reserve of £1,000 as an unraced juvenile but went on to amass upwards of £120,000 in prize money that season.
She went on to win twice more for the Jonathan Portman stable, including at Group Three level, so it’s a “never-say-never” race for many of the contenders this weekend.
Fillies have an excellent record in the Weatherbys Super Sprint, taking 15 of the 26 renewals, with this year’s race featuring 13 of them.
A maximum field of 25 juveniles go to post on Saturday afternoon and here is a look at some of the leading contenders:
Little Kim
Top-weight Little Kim heads the 25 two-year-olds going for glory in the £250,000 Weatherbys Super Sprint.
The Karl Burke-trained Little Kim made a winning debut in a novice event at Carlisle in June and last time out pipped Chelsea Cloisters to win the G3 Prix du Bois at Deauville, France. Both races were over over five furlongs, which is the distance of the Weatherbys Super Sprint.
In between, Little Kim finished eighth, beaten two lengths, behind Signora Cabello in the G2 Queen Mary Stakes over the same distance at Royal Ascot.
With Signora Cabello’s connections opting for a French engagement themselves, the way looks open for Little Kim to cash in.
Karl Burke said: "Little Kim is in great form. She goes there with a Group race win in the bag and, although she has an 8lb penalty for that, she has a good draw and will hopefully run well.
"We had her in the Prix Robert Papin on Sunday as well. It was a 50/50 call, but I have another horse declared for that race and it was always his target.
"As well as that, Nick Bradley (part-owner of Little Kim) is happy to go for the money at Newbury as he did not want to take on the Queen Mary winner again."
Red Balloons
Red Balloons picked up the first win of her career last time after finishing placed on two of her three starts. She came out of Royal Ascot well and was sent off the short priced favourite at Nottingham.
Her trainer, Richard Fahey, is a dab hand at these kind of sprints having won this race three times in the last five years, and she should not be underestimated at around the 10/1 mark.
Snazzy
The Highclere Thoroughbred-owned filly Snazzy pushed Signora Cabello close in a Listed race at York in May, but was then well beaten by her in the Queen Mary.
Her trainer, Charlie Fellowes, believes she can put that disappointing Royal Ascot display behind her:
“Snazzy was heavily in season at Ascot – Stevie (Donohoe) said she felt as flat as a pancake and was not the horse that he knows,” said Fellowes.
“On a very strict form line, we should have been bang there because we were only beaten a length and a half by the winner at York. We just didn’t turn up at Ascot, but she ovulated the following day and that has to be a very fair excuse.
“She is in good form now and this has been the plan since. She has had a clear run through and we are hopeful of big run.”
Tin Hat
Eve Johnson Houghton’s Tin Hat ran on to take fifth in the Listed Windsor Castle Stakes at Royal Ascot which certainly gives the chestnut colt a squeak here.
Kinks
The Mick Channon-trained Kinks finished sixth in the G2 Norfolk Stakes after being denied a clear run and any Royal Ascot runner that comes here to contest this sprint is always of interest.
Society Queen
The twice-raced Ayr winner Society Queen is the mount of last year's winning jockey Paddy Mathers and is also trained by the Weatherbys Sprint maestro, Richard Fahey.
Its The Only Way and Ginger Nut
The Hannon stable has an impressive record in Weatherbys Super Sprint, with eight victories in total. Richard Hannon, who was successful with Tiggy Wiggy in 2014, saddles dual winner Its The Only Way (Tom Marquand) and Ginger Nut (Harry Bentley).
Signora Cabello
Trainer John Quinn has decided to bypass Saturday's Weatherbys Super Sprint at Newbury with Signora Cabello and heads across the Channel instead.
The Queen Mary Stakes winner takes up an entry in the G2 Prix Robert Papin at Maisons-Laffitte on Sunday.
"We have declared her for the Prix Robert Papin on Sunday at Maisons-Laffitte," Quinn told At The Races.
"The main reason is down the line after racing, she's going to be bred from and she's got a very nice pedigree.
"She's already a Queen Mary winner and we just decided that this was the route - the Group route - that we'd follow with her, so that's where we are."
Signora Cabello is set to be joined in France by the Karl Burke-trained True Mason.
888sport suggests: Red Balloons @ Newbury (e/w)
*Odds subject to change - correct at time of writing*
