The Sprint Cup at Haydock always looked like a potential basket case for punters.
Sheikh Mohammed Obaid pair Inisherin and Elite Status are both classy, but it’s hard to keep three-year-olds going at the top level all season.
In the end, it was “improving” six-year-old Montassib who caused a “shock” at 25/1 for William Haggas. I put those words in quotes somewhat sarcastically, as such labels attached to the horse and the result are a little lazy in my eyes.
Stigma Unnecessary
A win in a Group 1 at such big odds is of course a thrill. Jockey Cieren Fallon was obviously delighted, while it’s great too for Haggas and the owners.
The six-furlong sprint division is wide open just now, and this result seems to have confirmed that. While that’s worth talking about, the real point here is about the fact that this continued, never-ending all-weather stigma is for punting mugs.
Taking the most basic point first; Montassib won a Group 3 on his latest start in good style and yet came into the Sprint Cup at 25/1. Why? Had his win come on the grass at any course, he would have been half the price but in his case, it came on the Tapeta at Newcastle on Northumberland Plate Day.
Montassib gets up to win the Chipchase Stakes at @NewcastleRaces! A quickfire double for @CierenFallonJr3 and @WilliamHaggas… pic.twitter.com/FKgP4WO46v
— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) June 29, 2024
He beat Kinross and others under Fallon at Gosforth Park and it was obvious he could live with this year’s six-furlong sprinters at the top level. There was also always the prospect of more to come, but did he even need a lot of improvement?
Those who look at Racing Post Ratings as a guide will see that Montassib ran to a mark of 116 last back end, then again to that mark at Doncaster in the spring. He repeated his 116 rating at Newcastle, where it must be said such ratings are often underestimated, then ran an apparent 119 to win at Haydock.
He only improved 3lbs according to the Racing Post to win the Sprint Cup. Those clever enough to know how it works will have already upgraded his 116 from Newcastle anyway, meaning he didn’t even need to improve at all to win this. He just had to run to his best form. Simple, isn’t it?
Multiple Group 1 All-Weather Winners Will Only Increase
Not only do we need to stop denigrating all-weather form, but we need to send more horses onto synthetic tracks as long as they start to improve facilities around them.
Punters are fed up of tracks watering unnecessarily and of the great British weather spoiling things. The all-weather tracks take care of that, provide a safe and sound surface for horses and, even more to the point, a fair one.
Montassib’s win in the Sprint Cup in fact comes during the same season in which we’ve witnessed Notable Speech, a particularly good 2000 Guineas winner, become the first such horse to win having come from the all-weather.
His successes at Kempton put him spot-on for the Classic and others will follow suit every year now. In Notable Speech’s case however, where he is best running in the longer term is up for debate.