Spotlight On The 2018 Weatherbys Super Sprint

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*

July 20, 2018
Horse Racing

By Steve Mullington

Steve Mullington
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    Steven is a sports and horse racing enthusiast and is a member of the Horseracing Writers and Photographers Association (HWPA) in the United Kingdom.

    He is a regular visitor to Paris Longchamp for the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe and a lifelong fan of the Aintree Grand National, a subject he writes about 52 weeks of the year. Last year he reached the impressive milestone of attending the last 30 renewals of the Grand National.

    Steven graduated from the University Of Lancaster in 1996 with a B.A (Hons) in Urban Policy & Race Relations (major) with Contemporary Religions & Belief Systems (minor) and still wonders if any of these help him find the winners?

    He writes for a number of websites and online publications and you can sometimes hear him at the weekend discussing racing on a number of local radio stations. 

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    Cristiano Ronaldo And Juventus To Conquer All Next Season?

    Weeks of speculation over Cristiano Ronaldo’s future came to an end on Tuesday. The Portuguese superstar completed his transfer to Juventus for a fee in the region of £88 million.

    A move away from the Santiago Bernabeu had been in the offing since Real Madrid won yet another Champions League, but it was still hard to really believe the rumours until an official announcement was made.

    It’s almost surreal. Rumours of a transfer have previously been a crude decoy for a pay rise. This time it was obviously different, but Juventus were always way down the list of potential suitors.

    The timing was strange for a transfer of this magnitude, too. They could have waited for the World Cup to end for maximum attention, and neither party made any flashy announcement.

    The Old Lady got their man. A 33-year-old, five-time Ballon d’Or winner fresh off another remarkable season. Sure, there will be shouty criticisms in corners of the internet, but it’s hard to argue with the deal from Juventus’ perspective.

    Expect A Busy Summer In Turin

    This could be the first of many dominos to fall this transfer window. It’s been slow going for the rumour mill thanks to the World Cup, but sales from Juventus are inevitable now with Gonzalo Higuain and Paulo Dybala both linked with moves away. We could be seeing one or two Juve stars move to the Premier League before the window shuts.

    Max Allegri’s squad may look quite different by the opening day of the Serie A season. The Turin-based club are massive favourites for yet another title, however, at 4/9.

    Across multiple managers and teams, Juventus have won seven straight. Adding Ronaldo to the mix surely only enhances their chances of further success, even if it causes a minor rebuild of the team.
    The loss of iconic goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon further emphasises the changing of the guard. Buffon was synonymous with Juventus, and his struggle to match his domestic success with a Champions League triumph had become one of the great footballing stories.

    This era of Juventus dominance was built on shrewd deals and an Italian defensive core. Ronaldo is a move away from that, and maybe, just maybe, a significant moment for the whole of Italian football. It’s been a while since Serie A attracted the sport’s biggest names.

    Napoli, Juventus’ closest competitors, are out at 6/1 to win the Scudetto. The price speaks volumes. Napoli could have a markedly different (weaker) squad themselves and are under the guidance of Carlo Ancelotti instead of Maurizio Sarri, who masterminded their breath-taking football last season.

    It’s possible, of course, that things go drastically wrong for Juventus and Ronaldo’s arrival upsets a club cruising domestically. That seems no more than a remote possibility, though, making Napoli’s 6/1 price still too short.

     

    Dreaming of Europe

    Juventus’ real desire is European glory. They’ve conquered Italy and reigned supreme for the best part of a decade, now it’s time to do what Buffon never could.  

    No club has lost as many European Cup/Champions League finals as Juve (7). Two of those came since 2015, and five since they last won the competition in 1996. Ronaldo, in stark contrast, has won five Champions League finals in his career, including four of the last five.

    One player is not going to take Juventus from nearly men to victors, that’s just now how football works, but it certainly increases their chances. Every fan, every manager in the world would rather that match defining chance was falling to Ronaldo rather than Higuain.

    Ronaldo is a ruthless competitor and leader. It would be foolish to right that off as an irrelevance when evaluating Juventus’ chances in Europe’s premier competition.

    What has made Real Madrid’s spell of Champions League dominance so remarkable, though, is the luck required to win knockout competitions. Good fortune, freak performances and an array of other factors influence a team’s chances of lifting the Champions League. The winners are not necessarily the best team, the same as with any knockout tournament.

    Picking an outright winner is hard as a result. Juventus’ chances are obviously enhanced, but even choosing a favourite is challenging until we’ve seen where players move. Real Madrid will still be fancied by many, particularly if they were to add a couple more attacking superstars like Neymar and Eden Hazard.

     

    Champions League or Bust

    Ronaldo has adapted well as he’s aged. His influence on the match has lessened, but his impact in the final third is as great as ever. Decline physically has been held off – and maybe it will be indefinitely – but this is not a decade long project for Juventus.

    It is probably a two or three year job for Ronaldo, giving a relatively small window for Juve to end their quest for that elusive third Champions League.

    The impact this deal has on European football as a whole, and more specifically Italian football, is enormous. Without continental glory, though, Ronaldo’s time in Turin will be a relative disappointment, such is the expectation on one of the greatest footballers the sport has ever seen.

     

    *Odds subject to change - correct at time of writing*

    July 17, 2018
    Football
    Body

    Sam is a sports tipster, specialising in the Premier League and Champions League.

    He covers most sports, including cricket and Formula One. Sam particularly enjoys those on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean – notably MLB and NBA.

    Watching, writing and talking about sports betting takes up most of his time, whether that is for a day out at T20 Finals Day or a long night of basketball.

    Having been writing for several years, Sam has been working with 888Sport since 2016, contributing multiple articles per week to the blog.

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    888Sport Look At Flat Racing's Biggest Ante-Post Betting Markets

    There’s just two weeks to go to now until “Glorious Goodwood” but in the meantime there are still plenty of high profile flat races to be run in both the UK and Ireland.

    Let’s take a look at some of the ante-post markets you can get stuck into in the next couple of weeks:

    Saturday 21st July: Darley Irish Oaks (Curragh)

    William Haggas will step Sea Of Class up in trip for the Darley Irish Oaks at the Curragh.

    Following discussions with the owners, the Newmarket based trainer has been preparing the dual Newbury Listed winner for a first try over 12 furlongs in the Group One prize.

    The daughter of Sea The Stars continued her build up for the forthcoming Irish raid with a racecourse gallop over a mile at Newmarket’s July Course last Thursday morning.

    Sea Of Class is a 7/2 chance with us here at 888sport.

    The Aidan O’Brien trained September (12/1) could make a belated reappearance in the Irish Oaks after recovering from the muscle problem that kept her out of the British version.

    O'Brien's team for the Irish Oaks, a race he has won five times, includes Forever Together (6/1) – the winner of  the Oaks at Epsom and Magic Wand (5/2), the four-length winner of the Ribblesdale Stakes at Royal Ascot last month.

     

    Sunday 22nd July: Kilboy Estate Stakes (Curragh)

    Jessica Harrington’s ever growing impact on flat racing’s top fixtures was in evidence again when I’m So Fancy successfully dropped back to a mile and landed the Listed Celebration Stakes at the Curragh.

    After the race, Harrington said: “She’s in the Group Two Kilboy Estate Stakes here over a mile and a quarter so we’ll see how she comes out of this.”

     

    Sunday 22nd July: Sapphire Stakes (Curragh)

    The Elite Racing Club owned Judicial could head to the Curragh as he goes in pursuit of a first Group-race victory.

    The six-year-old gelding finished runner-up in the Palace House Stakes at Newmarket in early May. Then at Beverley he won a strong conditions stakes by two and a quarter lengths.

    The Coral Charge at Sandown is another option for Judicial - a half-brother to the top sprinter Marsha - but he could also end up running in the Sapphire Stakes.

    Julie Camacho's assistant and husband, said: "He's more relaxed this year and he's clearly improving.

    "He's easier to ride this year and we now know a lot more about him.

    "We'll look at the Coral sprint at Sandown and he's also entered in the Sapphire Stakes in Ireland.

     

    Saturday 28th July: King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes (Ascot)

    The King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes (Sponsored by QIPCO) was first run in 1951. The mile and a half contest quickly established itself as one of the most prestigious middle distance events in the world and regularly attracts the best horses from far and wide. It is the second richest race on the British racing calendar, with a prize fund of £1,250,000.

    Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud victor Waldgeist (9/1) could well be sent across the Channel to contest this feature race by the French training maestro, Andre Fabre.

    The colt claimed his third win of the season and provided his trainer with an eighth Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud success when edging out John Gosden’s filly Coronet by a nose.

    Sir Michael Stoute is preparing both Crystal Ocean and Poet's Word for the Ascot prize.

    Crystal Ocean carded his third victory of the season with a dominant display in the Hardwicke Stakes at last month's Royal meeting, while Poet's Word took the scalp of Cracksman when recording a Group One success in the Prince of Wales's Stakes.

    Stoute shares a joint-record of five previous winners of the King George in Shergar (1981), Opera House (1993), Golan (2002), Conduit (2009) and Harbinger (2010) and looks intent on taking that record outright in 2018.

    Speaking of his two challengers, Stoute said: "They are both fine at the moment. They are being trained for the King George and the plan is to go to Ascot with both horses," said the Newmarket-based trainer.

    Crystal Ocean is 888sport’s 2/1 favourite for the Ascot showpiece with Poet's Word marginally behind him at 5/2.

    The consistent four-year-old Salouen (20/1) who ran Cracksman to a head in the Coronation Cup at Epsom and followed that up with a close third place behind Waldgeist in the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud, also heads to Ascot.

    His trainer Sylvester Kirk has no qualms about taking on the best opposition once again, saying:

    “He’s very good. It’s the King George next,” said the Lambourn handler.

    “The thing I worry about is not letting the horse get his head in front.

    “There’s no guarantee he’s going to go and win a Group Three yet.

    “We’ll go off and go to Ascot. He’s in great form. As for his stallion potential, it’s not that he’s risking anything by running in the top grade all the time.”

    Kew Gardens’ Grand Prix de Paris victory on Saturday gave him the likely option of running in the King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot according to Aidan O’Brien. Kew Gardens is prominent in the market at 6/1.

     

    Saturday 28th July: Gigaset International Stakes (Ascot)

    Royal Hunt Cup fifth Flaming Spear (12/1) is on target for Ascot’s International Stakes which takes place on the same afternoon as the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes.

    Formerly trained by Kevin Ryan, the six-year-old is no stranger to winning big race handicaps as his win at York in August last showed testament to that.

    The John Gosden-trained II Primo Sole (12/1) was a decent fifth in the Britannia Stakes (Heritage Handicap) at Royal Ascot and is another runner who should be on the premises again in this Heritage race.

     

    *Odds subject to change - correct at time of writing*

    July 16, 2018
    Horse Racing

    By Steve Mullington

    Steve Mullington
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    Steven is a sports and horse racing enthusiast and is a member of the Horseracing Writers and Photographers Association (HWPA) in the United Kingdom.

    He is a regular visitor to Paris Longchamp for the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe and a lifelong fan of the Aintree Grand National, a subject he writes about 52 weeks of the year. Last year he reached the impressive milestone of attending the last 30 renewals of the Grand National.

    Steven graduated from the University Of Lancaster in 1996 with a B.A (Hons) in Urban Policy & Race Relations (major) with Contemporary Religions & Belief Systems (minor) and still wonders if any of these help him find the winners?

    He writes for a number of websites and online publications and you can sometimes hear him at the weekend discussing racing on a number of local radio stations. 

    Steve Mullington
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    World Cup 2018: 6/1 Sterling To Lead England To The Final?

    The mania that swept the country after England beat Sweden might have just about calmed down by the time their semi-final kicks off on Wednesday evening. This is the first time England have reached the last four at a World Cup since 1990, and only the third time in the history of the tournament.

    A combination of fortune and overperformance has guided England this far. The dream of a first World Cup final since 1966 is just 90 minutes of football away, and against an opponent that England are favourites to beat.

    Croatia are the best side England have had to face yet on paper. Their performances since they thumped an Argentina side in disarray have not lived up to expectation.

    They’ve required penalties to get past Denmark and Russia, and not exactly set the world alight in the process. This is a huge opportunity for the Croatians too, however. This is likely the last major tournament with many of their star players at their prime.

    It’s a first trip to the World Cup semi-finals since the famous group of 1994, and England are less challenging opponents than many would have expected to face in the last four pre-tournament.

    Croatia’s midfield is the obvious focus. Luka Modric, Ivan Rakitic and Marcelo Brozovic (who will likely return to the team) form one of the best triumvirates in world football.

    All three are versatile, and capable of changing the game with a defensive splitting pass or line-breaking run.

    England’s trio of Jordan Henderson, Dele Alli and Jesse Lingard will have opportunity to get space behind the Croatia midfield, though. The trio have been solid defensively, pressing well so far this tournament.

    Croatia’s midfielders are capable of playing through that press, however, which could expose England. Henderson to pick up a booking at 4/1 is a good price.

    The flip side is Croatia do not play a natural sitting midfielder. Alli, Lingard and Harry Kane will look to exploit that gap between the lines.

    The darting runs of Alli and Lingard off the ball have been crucial for England to create space, they will be even more important in this one, particularly if England can play in transition. Alli at 7/2 to give an assist looks a great price.

    While Croatia’s play in the final third has been lacking for much of the tournament, Ivan Perisic and Mario Mandzukic are still going to test England unlike Sweden did.

    Having Kyle Walker and Kieran Tripper on the right of defence should help to nullify Perisic, but Mandzukic – who often drops into midfield – could be difficult to pick up.

    The Juventus forward is a threat aerially, when he actually makes it into the box. Fortunately, England have their latest hero, Harry Maguire, to deal with any crosses.

    Maguire has won more aerial duels than any other player left in the tournament but could be vulnerable if Croatia manage to drag him to defend in wide areas.

    Ashley Young has been part of the reason Maguire has been such a colossus. Young has a key role to play at both ends of the pitch; he must protect Maguire and provide width for England.

    The Manchester United man showed a greater willingness to use his left foot against Sweden, something England need more of if they are to stretch the pitch sufficiently.

    Both teams will see this matchup as a positive after the more defensive-minded teams they have faced so far.

    England took advantage when Sweden left any space in behind, and the exceptional runs of Raheem Sterling will be key again in this one.

    Sterling has done so much right so far in the World Cup, it’s a matter of time until he gets that decisive breakthrough to quieten many of the critics. He’s a great price at 8/1 to open the scoring.

    Croatia have underwhelmed so far but have the individual quality that could swing a match like this. Going by the form book, though, England are the pick to win this one.

    Gareth Southgate’s team have been the better side in this tournament and should make another step to ending their 52 years of hurt.

    TIP: Raheem Sterling to score and England to win @ 6/1

    CORRECT SCORE: Croatia 1-2 England (Priced at 19/2 with 888sport)

     

    *Odds subject to change - correct at time of writing*

    July 10, 2018
    Football
    Body

    Sam is a sports tipster, specialising in the Premier League and Champions League.

    He covers most sports, including cricket and Formula One. Sam particularly enjoys those on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean – notably MLB and NBA.

    Watching, writing and talking about sports betting takes up most of his time, whether that is for a day out at T20 Finals Day or a long night of basketball.

    Having been writing for several years, Sam has been working with 888Sport since 2016, contributing multiple articles per week to the blog.

    Sam Cox
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