Latest news with #SuperSprint
The Herald Scotland
3 hours ago
- Sport
- The Herald Scotland
Merchant looking to bank another big race for Highclere
'The Gordon was always the plan and the next logical step for him and a horse of his profile,' said Highclere's Harry Herbert. MERCHANT takes the King George V Stakes for @TomMarquand and trainer @WilliamHaggas. Congratulations to connections. — Ascot Racecourse (@Ascot) June 19, 2025 'He comes into it – according to William – in really good form and he's been working well at home. 'It's one step at a time with him and we will see how he gets on but we would be very hopeful of a big show as he's a fast-improving horse and one we think the world of.' The last four winners of this have gone on to contest the St Leger and although his team are refusing to rule out a Classic tilt, it could be an audacious trip to Paris that comes calling in the autumn if Merchant continues his rapid progression through the ranks. Herbert added: 'The St Leger is certainly possible it's just whether we want to go the mile and six route or whether we stick to a mile and a half. Tom Marquand aboard Merchant shakes hands with Harry Herbert, after winning at Royal Ascot (John Walton/PA) 'It will all depend on how he progresses and if he happens to win the Gordon Stakes we would then all being well head to the Great Voltigeur (at York, August 20) and if he happened to win that then the conversation would be do you go for the St Leger or have a crack at the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. 'I think it's wide open at this stage and of course there is a lot of water to flow under the bridge still. But William and I have been discussing it for a while and I'm not certain the St Leger would be the right move for this horse, although I hate to say that now when we're nowhere near that point. 'Hopefully all goes well at Goodwood and once that is out of the way we can go from there.' Eve Johnson Houghton has already made her mark in the juvenile Group races this week and will bid for Super Sprint compensation with Havana Hurricane in the Markel Richmond Stakes. Havana Hurricane was a Royal Ascot winner (John Walton/PA) The Royal Ascot winner narrowly missed out on a huge bounty when beaten a short head at Newbury but now returns to six furlongs, the distance over which he went down fighting to Charlie Appleby's reopposing Maximized in the Woodcote Stakes at Epsom. 'It would be exciting to make it a Group Two double for the week,' said Johnson Houghton. 'He's in great form, he's done nothing wrong and I think six furlongs will really suit him now we know to hold on to him for a bit longer. 'We obviously kicked too soon at Epsom, but we learned from it.' Clive Cox has bided his time since with Coppull since finishing third in the Coventry Stakes at the Royal meeting but with the form looking smart, is hopeful he can show the required progress in a race the Lambourn handler has won with Golden Horde (2019) and Supremacy (2020). 'I was really pleased with his effort in the Coventry and I just wanted to give him a little bit of time as he's still developing,' said Cox. Trainer Clive Cox will saddle Coppull (Mike Egerton/PA) 'He's done nothing but please so far and this is another big step, but we really like him. 'It's nice to be heading to these races with horses in form.' Disappointing in the Coventry was Archie Watson's Underwriter, but after being returned to Ayr for a confidence-boosting win since, attempts to go one better than owners Wathnan Racing's The Strikin Viking who was touched off in this race 12 months ago. 'We took him back up to Ayr and he was impressive there on debut and again the other day, he just had a complete blip for whatever reason at Royal Ascot,' said Wathnan's Richard Brown. 'We couldn't find any reason for the poor performance at Ascot so we went back up to Ayr with a penalty and he showed us what he could do. 'It's a step up in class, but we'll find out where we're at.'
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Triathlon success for duo at Dorney Lake triathlon
Laura and Nick Curwood both achieved personal bests in a recent triathlon. The pair competed in the Super Sprint triathlon at Dorney Lake on July 13. The swim was 400m, and wetsuits were not allowed. Laura completed this section in eight minutes and three seconds, and Nick was just eight seconds behind her. Nick powers through the 10km bike for a PB (Image: Supplied) The bike leg was 10km and saw Nick achieve his first personal best of the day, finishing in 15 minutes and 55 seconds. Laura completed this section in 20 minutes and 37 seconds. The final section was a 2.5km run. Laura finished in nine minutes and five seconds, and Nick finished in 10 minutes and 15 seconds. READ MORE: "Orkney's streets buzzing" after 'Fab Thursday' medal haul for Team Isle of Wight Nick completed the course in 37 minutes and 25 seconds and came second in the men's category. Laura completed the course in 41 minutes and 12 seconds and came fourth in the women's category. A spokesperson for Nick and Laura said: "Nick bagged a bike PB and completed the course in 37:25 and was 2nd gent. "Laura nailed both bike and run PBs and finished in 41:12 and was 4th lady. "Proving that once again triathlons are better when tackled together—with a splash of competition and a lot of fun. "Well done both, another fantastic achievement."
Glasgow Times
18-07-2025
- Sport
- Glasgow Times
Hurricane bidding to give Johnson Houghton change of fortune in Super Sprint
The Havana Gold colt provided his trainer with a second victory in the Windsor Castle Stakes at Royal Ascot last month, following in the hoofprints of her 2021 winner Chipotle. The latter was beaten into ninth place as a 15-8 favourite for the Super Sprint, however, and Havana Hurricane could well be even shorter odds for this year's renewal of the £250,000 contest. A dream come true for the owners ❤️ Havana Hurricane STORMS late to win the Windsor Castle Stakes 🏆#RoyalAscot | @Ascot — ITV Racing (@itvracing) June 18, 2025 'He is in great form, all he does is eat and sleep at home. We gave him a bit of work on Wednesday morning, he went very nicely and hopefully he is ripped and ready to go,' said Johnson Houghton 'I always thought he had an engine, but I wasn't sure it was quite as good as the engine he has produced.' The Didcot handler had the option of saving Havana Hurricane for Pattern events later in the summer, but she admits the lure of the huge prize-money on offer this weekend was too much to resist. Trainer Eve Johnson Houghton has high hopes for Havana Hurricane (John Walton/PA) She added: 'It's a lot of money. It's a race I've already wanted to win but I've been incredibly unlucky in it. Chipotle got wiped out when I thought he should have won it. 'The unluckiness rather put me off, but I've always wanted to win it and I think we have a horse here that if he doesn't get bad luck, he should be there or thereabouts. 'There are horses in there who are having to give him weight despite being rated inferior, so it's good conditions for him.' Rod Millman has saddled two previous Super Sprint winners in Lord Kintyre (1997) and Bettys Hope (2019) and has unearthed another major contender in Anthelia, who has already proved a shrewd purchase for owners Middleham Park Racing, having won her first three starts after being purchased for just £6,000 as a yearling last summer. Anthelia (left) winning at Sandown (Adam Davy/PA) She met with defeat for the first time when fifth in the Listed Empress Stakes at Newmarket three weeks ago, but looks to have every chance back in sales race company. Millman said: 'I thought she ran a sound race at Newmarket, giving them all 3lb. 'Five or six (furlongs) is fine, I think she's pretty versatile really. She definitely stays six. 'She's probably the classiest horse we've ever run in it and it's been a very lucky race for us. We've won it a couple of times and been second a few times, so let's hope luck's on our side again.' Ali Shuffle (right) on her way to victory at Chester (Nick Potts/PA) The Karl Burke-trained Ali Shuffle also won her first three races and was only narrowly denied the four-timer in a Group Three at Chantilly last month. She was disappointing on her latest visit to France, finishing fifth as a hot favourite for a Listed event at Deauville, but Burke feels she was not at her best that day, saying: 'We think she was in season in France, so we're putting that down as an excuse. 'She's worked well this week and goes there with some sort of chance, but it's a bit of a lottery race. 'She's in good order and it's worth a go for that sort of money.' Other hopefuls include Richard Hughes' Windsor winner Our Cody and Cotai Belle, who has won her last two starts for Richard Fahey.
Leader Live
18-07-2025
- Sport
- Leader Live
Hurricane bidding to give Johnson Houghton change of fortune in Super Sprint
The Havana Gold colt provided his trainer with a second victory in the Windsor Castle Stakes at Royal Ascot last month, following in the hoofprints of her 2021 winner Chipotle. The latter was beaten into ninth place as a 15-8 favourite for the Super Sprint, however, and Havana Hurricane could well be even shorter odds for this year's renewal of the £250,000 contest. A dream come true for the owners ❤️ Havana Hurricane STORMS late to win the Windsor Castle Stakes 🏆#RoyalAscot | @Ascot — ITV Racing (@itvracing) June 18, 2025 'He is in great form, all he does is eat and sleep at home. We gave him a bit of work on Wednesday morning, he went very nicely and hopefully he is ripped and ready to go,' said Johnson Houghton 'I always thought he had an engine, but I wasn't sure it was quite as good as the engine he has produced.' The Didcot handler had the option of saving Havana Hurricane for Pattern events later in the summer, but she admits the lure of the huge prize-money on offer this weekend was too much to resist. She added: 'It's a lot of money. It's a race I've already wanted to win but I've been incredibly unlucky in it. Chipotle got wiped out when I thought he should have won it. 'The unluckiness rather put me off, but I've always wanted to win it and I think we have a horse here that if he doesn't get bad luck, he should be there or thereabouts. 'There are horses in there who are having to give him weight despite being rated inferior, so it's good conditions for him.' Rod Millman has saddled two previous Super Sprint winners in Lord Kintyre (1997) and Bettys Hope (2019) and has unearthed another major contender in Anthelia, who has already proved a shrewd purchase for owners Middleham Park Racing, having won her first three starts after being purchased for just £6,000 as a yearling last summer. She met with defeat for the first time when fifth in the Listed Empress Stakes at Newmarket three weeks ago, but looks to have every chance back in sales race company. Millman said: 'I thought she ran a sound race at Newmarket, giving them all 3lb. 'Five or six (furlongs) is fine, I think she's pretty versatile really. She definitely stays six. 'She's probably the classiest horse we've ever run in it and it's been a very lucky race for us. We've won it a couple of times and been second a few times, so let's hope luck's on our side again.' The Karl Burke-trained Ali Shuffle also won her first three races and was only narrowly denied the four-timer in a Group Three at Chantilly last month. She was disappointing on her latest visit to France, finishing fifth as a hot favourite for a Listed event at Deauville, but Burke feels she was not at her best that day, saying: 'We think she was in season in France, so we're putting that down as an excuse. 'She's worked well this week and goes there with some sort of chance, but it's a bit of a lottery race. 'She's in good order and it's worth a go for that sort of money.' Other hopefuls include Richard Hughes' Windsor winner Our Cody and Cotai Belle, who has won her last two starts for Richard Fahey.
Rhyl Journal
18-07-2025
- Sport
- Rhyl Journal
Hurricane bidding to give Johnson Houghton change of fortune in Super Sprint
The Havana Gold colt provided his trainer with a second victory in the Windsor Castle Stakes at Royal Ascot last month, following in the hoofprints of her 2021 winner Chipotle. The latter was beaten into ninth place as a 15-8 favourite for the Super Sprint, however, and Havana Hurricane could well be even shorter odds for this year's renewal of the £250,000 contest. A dream come true for the owners ❤️ Havana Hurricane STORMS late to win the Windsor Castle Stakes 🏆#RoyalAscot | @Ascot — ITV Racing (@itvracing) June 18, 2025 'He is in great form, all he does is eat and sleep at home. We gave him a bit of work on Wednesday morning, he went very nicely and hopefully he is ripped and ready to go,' said Johnson Houghton 'I always thought he had an engine, but I wasn't sure it was quite as good as the engine he has produced.' The Didcot handler had the option of saving Havana Hurricane for Pattern events later in the summer, but she admits the lure of the huge prize-money on offer this weekend was too much to resist. She added: 'It's a lot of money. It's a race I've already wanted to win but I've been incredibly unlucky in it. Chipotle got wiped out when I thought he should have won it. 'The unluckiness rather put me off, but I've always wanted to win it and I think we have a horse here that if he doesn't get bad luck, he should be there or thereabouts. 'There are horses in there who are having to give him weight despite being rated inferior, so it's good conditions for him.' Rod Millman has saddled two previous Super Sprint winners in Lord Kintyre (1997) and Bettys Hope (2019) and has unearthed another major contender in Anthelia, who has already proved a shrewd purchase for owners Middleham Park Racing, having won her first three starts after being purchased for just £6,000 as a yearling last summer. She met with defeat for the first time when fifth in the Listed Empress Stakes at Newmarket three weeks ago, but looks to have every chance back in sales race company. Millman said: 'I thought she ran a sound race at Newmarket, giving them all 3lb. 'Five or six (furlongs) is fine, I think she's pretty versatile really. She definitely stays six. 'She's probably the classiest horse we've ever run in it and it's been a very lucky race for us. We've won it a couple of times and been second a few times, so let's hope luck's on our side again.' The Karl Burke-trained Ali Shuffle also won her first three races and was only narrowly denied the four-timer in a Group Three at Chantilly last month. She was disappointing on her latest visit to France, finishing fifth as a hot favourite for a Listed event at Deauville, but Burke feels she was not at her best that day, saying: 'We think she was in season in France, so we're putting that down as an excuse. 'She's worked well this week and goes there with some sort of chance, but it's a bit of a lottery race. 'She's in good order and it's worth a go for that sort of money.' Other hopefuls include Richard Hughes' Windsor winner Our Cody and Cotai Belle, who has won her last two starts for Richard Fahey.
