By Duane Fonseca -
Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum could enjoy more Group One glory at Haydock on Saturday with the top two in the running for the Betfair Sprint Cup, Inisherin and Elite Status, both carrying his colours.
Top-level winner Inisherin (Tom Eaves), trained by Kevin Ryan, has been billed the ante-post favourite for the 1200m sprint, with Karl Burke’s multiple Group winning Elite Status (Clifford Lee) not far behind at second in the money index.
After a tepid start, which saw him finish second on his only start as a juvenile, Inisherin showed a different side to himself as a three-year-old when finishing a close sixth in the 2000 Guineas.
Ryan seemed to have found out his real distance when dispatching him in the Sandy Lane Stakes (G2) , which he won by nearly four lengths over the 1200m strip at Haydock. Leaping forward from that, the Shamardal colt dominated proceedings in the Commonwealth Cup (G1) on the Royal Ascot programme, before his first outing against older horses saw him finish fifth in the July Cup Stakes (G1) at Newmarket.
However, he is expected to come forward from that run, with Ryan confident that the experience and his training thereafter have got him in the “right place” for Saturday, where among numerous others he lines up against teammate Elite Status and the Sheikh Juma Dalmook Al Maktoum-owned Swingalong, who was a neck behind Mill Stream as the runner-up in the July Cup.
North Yorkshire-based Ryan won the 2019 and 2021 editions of the Sprint Cup with Hello Youmzain and Emaraaty Ana and can’t wait to see how his latest stable star gets on when the gates fly open.
“Inisherin is in great form. All his fast work is finished now and he had his last gallop on Saturday,” said Ryan, speaking on a Zoom call organised by The Jockey Club.
“We’ve had an uninterrupted preparation and all his work has gone to plan when we wanted it to. He is very fresh and well. Knowing the horse, we haven’t had a concern with him in any of his work and I’m confident we are in the right place.
“He is not a complicated ride so I tell Tom just to concentrate on him and not worry about who is beside you. There is a fair chance he’ll put some of the pace to the race anyway. The good thing about him is that he can go on or take a lead.”
Similarly, Ryan is unperturbed by conditions on Saturday.
He added: “When he ran at Haydock in the Sandy Lane I was worried it might be a bit soft for him but he handled it really, really well and then obviously went and won on opposite ground at Royal Ascot. He handled it just the same and might be quite a unique sprinter in that he can handle fast ground and softer conditions too. I have no concerns about the ground at Haydock. It’s a lovely track and this time of year it should be in top shape.
“He will stay further than six furlongs. He showed a lot of speed in the Guineas. Top-class milers and even top-class 10-furlong horses need that speed. I just felt this year while he is starting to strengthen and has that speed, why not try him sprinting? The Sandy Lane slotted in ideally for us and that set him up for Royal Ascot.”
Ryan believes Inisherin has much in common with both his previous winners of the race.
“This horse is very like Emaraaty Ana in that he is a very easy horse to train. We were lucky the year Emaraaty Ana won as he wanted top of the ground and happened to get it, which is unusual at Haydock at the time of year,” commented Ryan.
“Hello Youmzain, like Inisherin, had good form at Haydock coming into the race and was proven on the track which always stands you in good stead.
“We’ve been very lucky over the years, going back to the likes of Amadeus Wolf in the early days and Brando, who flew the flag for many years. The Grey Gatsby was another fantastic horse, as was Triple Time.”
