AS a sweltering week draws to a close, Hot can prove a fitting winner of the Weatherbys Super Sprint at Newbury tomorrow. Trainer Richard Hannon has farmed this event in recent years, bagging it twice in the last three years and five times since 1992. And in Hot he looks to have the ideal type to follow in the tracks of previous winners Risky and Lyric Fantasy.
Hannon’s inmate disappointed on his first two starts, but has been a completely different proposition on firm ground and bagged five furlong contests at both Leicester and Bath.
In the latter event he saw off the threat of previous winner and odds-on favourite Violette by a head, with the pair drawing well clear of the third, and offering horse racing free bets “He travelled very well, picked up and did it all himself,” said trainer’s son Richard junior. “It was a pretty good performance for a two-year-old who was only having his fourth race. “He gets into the Super Sprint on a pretty light weight and, on that performance, it makes him an ideal candidate to run well.” The Hannon yard has singled out Hot from its five entries and the hint should be taken for this £135,000 renewal.
A high-quality card at Market Rasen can see Impek finally return to winning ways.
The nine-year-old, who runs in the Best Mate colours of Jim Lewis, is just short of the highest class but should have enough ability for his rivals in the valuable Totesport Summer Plate. He has suffered stamina worries in the past, but the likelihood of firm going at the Lincolnshire track can allay any such doubts tomorrow.
Impek ran a blinder behind Tikram at Sandown towards the end of last season and can make light of his burden of list 71b.
In-form Bailcassidy— from the Haverfordwest yard of Peter Bowen — and Paul Nicholls’s progressive Sweet Diversion could provide the stiffest opposition. Champion jumps trainer Martin Pipe can land another big prize through Buena Vista in the Totescoop6 Summer Handicap Hurdle. The four-year-old, who runs in the familiar colours of the late Jean Broadhurst, has wasted no time in running up a hat-trick of victories and looks likely to continue on the upgrade.
Overstrand could provide the biggest danger at a decent price. |
