Havana Hurricane can blow rivals away in Newbury Super Sprint

The Guardian

18-07-2025

Eve Johnson Houghton has drawn a blank with 14 previous runners in the Super Sprint at Newbury and recently described it as her 'unluckiest race', but she may never have a better chance to break her duck than in the latest renewal of the £250,000 contest on Saturday, when Havana Hurricane, her Windsor Castle Stakes winner at Royal Ascot, will go to post as the short-priced favourite.
Johnson Houghton's Chipotle, also a Windsor Castle winner, was the beaten favourite in the Super Sprint in 2021, but Havana Hurricane (3.30) arguably has even stronger credentials and has progressed with every outing so far.
A repeat of his Ascot form might well be enough off 8st 11lb in a race where the weights depend on a horse's purchase price at auction, but further improvement is also more than likely. Havana Hurricane cost just 9k gns (£9,450) as a yearling and can take his career earnings past £200k with a third career victory on Saturday.
Newbury 1.50 Okeechobee was returning from a year off the track when finishing fourth at Kempton in April, having raced much too freely in the first half mile. He remains lightly raced for a five-year-old and his win in last year's Gordon Richards Stakes offers hope that he can still reach a higher level than this Listed contest.
Market Rasen 2.05 Olly Murphy has picked up in the 2025/26 season over jumps where he left off in 2024/25 with a 26% strike rate since early May. This is much more competitive than the three-runner affair that Deploy To Spy took at Worcester last time, but he won with something to spare there and is just 3lb higher in the weights with cheek-pieces on for the first time.
Newbury 2.25 An interesting assortment of runners for this two-mile handicap, including several that raced at the Royal meeting last time out. Wonder Legend was out of his depth in the Gold Cup and dropped away rapidly before being pulled up, but if he is over whatever was troubling him there, his all-weather form gives him a definite chance in what could be a falsely-run race.
Market Rasen 2.40 This could be another decent prize for the Olly Murphy stable as Sir Galahad arrives unbeaten after four starts over hurdles and is up just 5lb in the weights for his latest success at Worcester, form that was franked when the runner-up was an easy winner next time out.
Newbury 2.57 Several of the leading contenders have a question to answer over either the trip or their recent form but the safest option is probably Regional, who has been running at a higher level for much of the last two seasons. Five furlongs is probably ideal for Ed Bethell's gelding but he was a Group One winner at six on quick ground in 2023 and was not beaten far in this race last year.
Market Rasen 1.35 Laravie 2.05 Deploy To Spy 2.40 Sir Galahad 3.12 Ballysax Hank (nb) 3.50 Rocks Up Late 4.25 Scintillante 5.00 Nickelforce.
Cartmel 1.40 Caughtinyourtrance 2.15 Hope Hill 2.50 Winds Of Winter 3.22 Go Go Chicago 4.00 River Of Joy 4.35 Bumpy Evans 5.10 Rory's Story.
Newbury 1.50 Okeechobee 2.25 Wonder Legend 2.57 Regional 3.30 Havana Hurricane 4.10 Sea The Wonder 4.45 Song Of The Clyde 5.20 Maybe Not.
Ripon 2.10 Stargazed 2.45 Goyard 3.17 Tele Red 3.55 Woodstock City 4.30 Paladin 5.05 Groundhog 5.38 Ideal Guest.
Newmarket 4.20 Della Pace 4.55 Understudy 5.30 Leadman 6.00 Zouligan 6.35 Kaaranah 7.05 Another Abbot 7.38 Billyb (nap).
Doncaster 5.15 King's Crown 5.45 Galileo Island 6.15 Highfield Viking 6.45 Thanks Dad 7.15 Mdawi 7.45 Operation Gimcrack 8.15 Grand Traverse 8.45 Kentucky River.
Haydock 6.25 Always A Star 6.55 Canvas 7.30 You Sexy Thing 8.00 Tactical Plan 8.30 Bright Times Ahead 9.00 A Girl Named Ivy.
Market Rasen 3.12 Gavin Cromwell's strike-rate with runners in Britain dipped below its usual high level last season but the Cheltenham Gold Cup was among his half-dozen winners and Ballysax Hank looks to have been primed for this valuable midsummer prize. An opening mark of 128 after three chase starts gets the six-year-old in towards the bottom of the weights and the booking of Harry Cobden is another big plus.
The Curragh 3.40 This promises to be a very straightforward task for Minnie Hauk, the Oaks winner at Epsom last month, as she attempts to complete the double in the Irish equivalent. Aidan O'Brien's filly has at least a stone in hand of most of her rivals on ratings and was five lengths in front of Wemightakedlongway, her closest rival in the betting, at Epsom.