Run at Haydock Park racecourse the Group 1 Sprint Cup is run over six furlongs and often attracts some of the best sprinters from around the world.
Bet on horse racing at William Hill
The 2024 Haydock Sprint Cup was won by Montassib. Other notable winners since the turn of the millennium have been Dream Of Dreams (2020), Hello Youmzain (2019), Harry Angel (2017), Quiet Reflection (2016), Twilight Son (2015) & Gordon Lord Byron (2013).
Early Contenders For The 2025 Haydock Sprint Cup:
37 horses remain in contention for the Haydock Sprint Cup after the scratchings stage on August 19th.
Eyecatchers at this stage include the French entries Beauvatier, Lazzat & Woodshauna, Kevin Ryan’s Inisherin, William Haggas’ More Thunder & Almeraq, Tim Easterby’s Art Power, Aidan O’Brien’s Ides Of March & Whistlejacket and Charlie Appleby’s Shadow Of Light.
Current Antepost Betting Market
At the time of writing a definitive betting market is yet to be formed, but it is highly likely to be headed by the William Haggas trained More Thunder.
More Thunder’s first run in Pattern company was in the Group 2 Hungerford Stakes, which he duly won by over two lengths at Newbury when sent off the 6/4 favourite.
Haggas’ rapidly improving four-year-old won over 1¼ miles for Sir Michael Stoute last season, but the stable quickly switched him over to sprinting.
He won a six-furlong handicap at the Craven, followed up at the Guineas meeting, was beaten a head in the Wokingham and took the Bunbury Cup over seven furlongs
This rapid rise through the ranks took him to a rating of 103, before connections felt it was time to tackle a Group Two contest, which turned out to be a shrewd move.
More Thunder is 5lb behind the highest-rated sprinter in Europe, Lazzat – but he is rapidly catching up.
Speaking of Haggas, the lightly-race Almeraq bolted up in Scotland, winning an Ayr Gold Cup trial by five lengths.
Connections had toyed with sending him to Deauville for the Listed Prix Moonlight Cloud, but those plans were shelved, and it is quite probable that he will turn up at Haydock for this Group 1.
French sprinter Lazzat would be a major coup for Haydock Park should he turn up at the Merseyside racecourse.
Winner of the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot, the French-gelding was last seen getting marginally turned over in the Group 1 Prix Maurice de Gheest at Deauville, a race that he had won twelve months earlier.
A trip to England to contest a slightly easier Group 1 may be on the cards, perhaps as a confidence booster, but then again, he may be kept at home so watch your bets.
Fellow French runner Beauvatier would certainly be a nice addition to the field should connections make travel plans for him.
A comfortable winner of the Group 3 Prix de Ris-Orangis at Deauville, he wasn’t disgraced in the Maurice de Gheest, so another crack of the whip at this level would be perfectly justified.
Haydock Sprint Cup selection: More Thunder (WIN).
*Odds subject to change – prices accurate at the time of writing*
