The culmination of the British sprint season occurs this Saturday with the Group One Haydock Park Sprint Cup.  The usual cast of high grade handicappers, in and out group performers and no hopers are on show for this 6f event.  Sakhee’s Secret looks one of the better sprinters seen out in recent times.  He took the eye when stepping out of Listed events to take the July Cup a shade cosily under Steve Drowne.  More in the mould of Oasis Dream and Mozart than Les Arcs and Reverence, this genuinely classy sprinter should be able to, and deservedly so, claim the race and with it Champion Sprinter status.

Meanwhile on the other side of the Irish Sea Leopardstown holds a fantastic card highlighted by the Irish Champion Stakes and the Matron Stakes, both Group One races.  The Champion Stakes seems to be at the mercy of King George winner Dylan Thomas but Jim Bolger’s ultra tough filly Finsceal Beo could cause a minor upset.  This dual 1,000 Guineas winner comes from a stable in cracking form (as highlighted by the recent Group successes of New Approach and Saoirse Abu) and was quite brilliant when scoring her Classic successes in the Spring.  Completely inconvenienced by the soft going in the Coronation Stakes, her break plus the step up in trip could see her return to the winner’s enclosure.  Furthermore her turn of foot can see off Dylan Thomas, who seemed simply to stay on into 2^nd in the International as opposed to quickening.

Kempton stages yet another good card of racing on its Polytrack surface.  The Group 3 September Stakes and the Group 3 Sirenia Stakes top the bill but the final of the London Mile Handicap series is also being run and could well fall the way of Mick Easterby’s Atlantic Story.  Having run up a very impressive sequence on the all-weather over the winter this dirt-bred son of Stormy Atlantic was rested until recently.  He was too keen to do himself justice on his less liked turf surface and the return to an artificial track can only be of benefit.  This is more competitive than the winter races but off a mark of 83 he could well be involved in the finish for the £46,245 first prize on offer.     

Selections  - 3.10 Haydock, 13 Sakhee’s Secret