Batt’s a speedball
Hills joy at sprinter’s super win
IT promises to be a blink-and-you-miss- it moment after Battaash teed up a clash with Lady Aurelia in York’s Nunthorpe Stakes with a blistering victory in yesterday’s Qatar King George Stakes.
Battaash, previously described as being like a ‘ bull in a china shop’ by trainer Charlie Hills, has been transformed this season into a flying machine by a gelding operation and growing maturity.
While Lady Aurelia, trained in America by Wesley Ward, was responsible for one of the most striking memories of Royal Ascot when she beat Profitable by three lengths in the King’s Stand Stakes.
But 9-2 Battaash, who made it three wins from three runs this term, beat the same rival by an easy two and a quarter lengths under champion jockey Jim Crowley yesterday.
In a winning time of just under 59 seconds — a serious time on the rain- softened ground — proven sprinters including twotime race winner Take Cover (fourth) were unable to force Crowley to even consider using all Battaash’s gears.
Two years’ ago, Hills trained champion sprinter Muhaarar, who like Battaash carried the colours of owner Sheik Hamdan Al Maktoum. He now has another candidate on his hands. Hills said: ‘This horse is a serious speedball.
‘He was up against some top sprinters and travelled with such ease. Five furlongs at York will really suit him. We will have the American horse to contend with there. It should be a good race.’
For Crowley, successful on Andrew Balding’s Here Comes When in Wednesday’s Group One Sussex Stakes, this was probably the most significant win since he became retained jockey to Sheik Hamdan this season. Crowley said: ‘He would be the best sprinter I have sat on so far. I never felt I was in trouble at any stage.’
Fresh from riding the 100th Group One win of his career on Winter in Thursday’s Nassau Stakes, Ryan Moore landed a 52-1 treble on Poet’s Word (Glorious Stakes), Beat The Bank ( Thoroughbred Stakes) and Master The World (Betfred Mile).
Balding-trained Beat The Bank is the best horse so far owned by Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, the Thai owner of Leicester City.
Vichai, who has 12 horses with Balding and one with David Elsworth, spent over £2m on six horses on the eve of Royal Ascot to run at the meeting.
Beat The Bank, a three-length winner, looks potentially capable of competing at the highest level. More immediately, he could return to Goodwood for a shot at the Group Two Celebration Mile.