Betfair: Big Race History: Weatherbys Super Sprint Stakes

Today’s update from Betfair:

The Super Sprint, sometimes known as the Richard Hannon benefit, is one of a series of valuable sales races that have changed the two-year-old landscape in recent times. Malcolm Pannett looks at the past winners

The first running of the race now known as the Weatherbys Super Sprint was won by Jack Berry’s Paris House who in a tight finish just held Harvest Girl, Miss Nosey Parker, Orthorhombus and Fair Crack - the distances were a neck a head and two further necks. The grey son of Petong, whose only previous defeat had been when second to Magic Ring in the Norfolk Stakes, went on to add the Flying Childers, Field Marshal, Palace House and Temple Stakes to he’s tally, each time ridden by John Carroll.

Started as the Newbury Sales Super Sprint Trophy in1991 the name evolved to become the Weatherbys Super Sprint Trophy in 1994. The suffix ‘Trophy’ was dropped the next year and ‘Stakes’ added last year. There is currently prize money down to tenth place. Eligibility to run is dependent on being sold at certain sales with the weight to be carried allotted according to the purchase price - the cheaper the price the lower the weight.

Richard Hannon has won six of the 17 runnings starting with Lyric Fantasy (1992) who was guided to victory by Michael Roberts in the year he became champion jockey, The winner of all three of her races prior to the Super Sprint, including the National Stakes and Queen Mary Stakes, Lyric Fantasy went on to extend the unbeaten run to five in the Nunthorpe.

Hannon fielded the first and second in the following year’s Super Sprint with Risky (1993) and Pommes Frites who beat subsequent Gimcrack, Greenham and Irish 2000 Guineas-winner Turtle Island into third. Further wins followed with Miss Stamper (1996), Presto Vento (2002), If Paradise (2003) and most recently Lady Livius (2005). However he hasn’t always had it his own way as detailed in the essays on the anniversary races below.

The introduction of valuable sales races has encouraged new owners to the sport, lured by the potential of a big pot and multiple places, however traditionalists argue that there may be a knock-on effect of weakening the established two-year-old races aimed at finding the best horses of the generation.

There was no race in 2007 as the meeting was a victim of the wide scale heavy rain that led to devastating flooding in many areas over the summer.

10 years ago - Don Puccini ran out a game winner beating Halland Park Girl the first one home of Richard Hannon’s mob. The Bryan Smart-trained son of Piccolo prevailed by half a length with Cedar Master taking third place with favourite Imperialist, another Hannon runner, fourth. The field split into two groups with sixth-placed Roo leading home the nonet on the inside of the track.

Five years ago - Brian Meehan’s Siena Gold made most of the running to deprive the Richard Hannon-trained favourite Don’t Tell Mum. The pair had a rare old tussle in the closing stages with the best horse winning despite carrying the runner-up across the track slightly as the son of Key Of Luck hung left under pressure from pilot Frankie McDonald.

Last Year - Another thriller as Richard Hannon’s Infamous Angel and Senor Mirasol, trained by Kevin Ryan, closed in on the pace-setting Jargelle in the final furlong. The latter, trained by Willie Haggas and ridden by Liam Jones, just held on by a short-head and a nose to score at 20-1 (pictured above). Favourite Penny’s Gift, also trained by Hannon, was one of several who didn’t get a clear run. When the daughter of Tobougg finally extricated herself from the ruck she ran on well until another bump ended her challenge. Last month she gained her third victory since then when landing the German 1000 Guineas.

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