🏇 Newbury’s Super Sprint: The Full Report

How’s it going?

Prepare to be shocked… jumps racing is back on TV this Saturday!

Yes, it’s true. In the middle of the Flat season during peak summer, the jumps suddenly appear from nowhere - if only briefly.

But we won’t be ignoring the two big jumps races on ITV, and have included them in our Super Trends 🦸 which produced a 90/1 July Cup forecast (11/1 & 6/1) last week.

The Purist 🧐 almost had a good Saturday too, only for three close runners-up to decide not to flare their nostrils where it mattered on the line. We did hear that he clawed back losses by following our Paddock Report team’s 🐴 advice to back What A Tahoo three days later.

Unlike Thomas Tuchel, we won’t be playing it safe this weekend - it’s time for our own Three Paddock Lions to roar 🦸🧐🐴.

👉 Newbury’s big race is the valuable Super Sprint for two-year-olds (3.37) - just the 25 runners, mind.

👉 The Irish Oaks takes place at the Curragh on Saturday (4.35) - amazingly, there is no Aidan O’Brien short-priced hotpot.

👉 Market Rasen stage their big day of the year with the valuable Summer Plate (2.45) and Summer Hurdle (2.10) both taking place.

👉 On the subject of jumps and the summer, Champion hurdler Constitution Hill could be next seen at Windsor on August 29. 

👉 Oisin Murphy continues his pursuit of the jockey’s title, riding a five-timer at Windsor on Monday. If you’ve ever wondered what it would be like to ride a five-timer, wait no longer, as PS5 released Full Stride this week…

We’re heading back to our roots in listing quality rather than quantity - with so much racing to track on a busy Saturday, it’s our job to make things easier for you.

Here goes…

🔢 Favourites have an excellent record on Summer Plate day at Market Rasen.

In the last five years, favourites won 18 times from 35 runners for a profit of £18 to a £1 stake. Compare that to the second favourites at just 1-39 (-£35).

🔢 Also at Market Rasen, trainers Mickey and Peter Bowen hit 5 winners from 16 runners on Summer Plate day for a profit of £17 to a £1 stake, while James Owen had 4 from 13 (+£8).

🔢 Newbury’s Super Sprint Stakes has proven a ‘draw race’ in favour of high stalls. The last 14 winners came from stalls: 16, 10, 18, 21, 15, 16, 25, 19, 13, 13, 15, 14, 10, 21.  

🔢 At the Curragh’s two-day Oaks meeting on Saturday, trainer Aidan O’Brien showed an overall loss of -£25 to a £1 stake. However, in maiden races he struck with 9 wins from 22 runners (+£8) - interestingly, 17 of the 22 either won or were placed for an each-way return of +£14.

Featuring the latest big-race roll of honour alongside ten-year trends analysis, our ‘Super Trends’ reveal the key stats for all the big races.

Use these trends to find your own selections, or if you’re short of time and can’t access a formbook, check our short-list of selections below each race.

🏅 Louis Veron
🏅 Newton Rambler
🏅 High Fibre

🏅 Baileys Khelstar
🏅 Almuhit

🏅 Kingston Narcissus
🏅 Queensbury Boy
🏅 Breizh River

🏅 Bint Archange
🏅 Vollering

A tough Saturday for The Purist seven days ago when he rattled the crossbar and hit both posts, but he’s back full of beans and ready to rumble.

Here’s who The Purist is backing on Saturday…

Curragh 2.50 Sondad

High stalls are usually favoured in big fields at the Curragh, and Sondad could go close from stall 18 of 21. He usually rumbles in these big sprints having been runner-up at Ayr in September before a career best at Epsom last month, prior to a gutsy ninth of 27 when badly drawn at Royal Ascot. Odds of 10/1 or bigger look big.

Newmarket 5.25 Silca Bay

It’s hard not to be impressed with the current form of trainer Eve Johnson Houghton, who’s bagged six winners since July 9. Silca Bay could be the yard’s next winner if getting more luck than at Sandown last time when blocked twice before finishing with petrol in the tank.

6.45 Doncaster First Time

It’s the time of year when younger, improving three-year-olds start beating their elders, and First Time has the chance to do that in a race won by the aforementioned age-group three times in the last eight runnings. A winner on good to firm last summer before changing yards, he caught the eye at York last month over 6f - which looks too short for him these days - before an even more eye-catching run when third over 7f at Chester three weeks ago. Dropped a handy 2lb for those runs, he can now cash in.

Ahead of Market Rasen’s big day, champion trainer Dan Skelton spoke to Racing TV in midweek and had this to say: 

“This is a race that we have had in mind for Kingston Narcissus since he joined us. I think the way the race will be run will really suit him. It will be a fast run race, and that will really suit him, as should the ground. I’m looking forward to running him around here, as the track should also play to his strengths. He should go really well.”

Sounds confident, doesn’t he?

Another three runners caught our eye more than they did of the form-comment writers - which is good news for us.

Crown Office (3yo)

We like his last two runs - on the quiet side, you know what we mean. He got off the mark for William Haggas in October before flopping on his April return, resulting in him being gelded. He returned at Sandown last month with a good fourth - both the third and fifth won since. 

Crown Office then ran in a tasty handicap at Ascot last weekend when earning the form comment ‘never better than midfield’. Watch the replay and you’ll see the door closed on him when making headway - not given a hard time thereafter. He’s been dropped a total of 3lb for both runs, and has the look of a well-handicapped horse.

Annaf (7yo) & Havana Hurricane (3yo)

We stick with last weekend’s Ascot meeting for our next two runners from the 5f sprint. 

Annaf is exposed and was rated around 107 this time last year, but is now down to a rating of 100 despite two good runs. The first of those came on Northumberland day when finishing with a rattle into third, prior to his seventh of 15 at Ascot when making his move furthest away from the main action - his rider making just one half-hearted attempt with the whip. 

Havana Hurricane is less exposed and was also rated 100+ this time last year but is down to 97 despite shaping well the last twice at two strong tracks - Sandown and Ascot. He does get taken off his feet early so needs a big field with a strong pace to aim at, enabling the leaders to come back to him. He’s entered in the Stewards’ Cup at Glorious Goodwood, which could suit.

The following question came up in the office this week…

Which Royal Ascot races produced the most winners so far?

We investigated.

Albany Stakes - won by Libertango
4 wins from 15 runs - Sun Goddess (2/7), Roxelina (2/9), Glamorize (11/10), Dubai Charm (11/4)

Queen Mary Stakes - won by Victorious
3 wins from 5 runs - Bint Archange (10/1), Senorita Bonita (9/4), Fast Track (1/10)

Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes - won by Almeraq
2 wins from 4 runs since - Comanche Brave (11/1) & Flora Of Bermuda (3/1)

King George V Stakes - won Enceladus
2 wins from 6 runs since - Galilean Quality (13/8) & Golden Knight (13/8)

Some of the subsequent winners from Ascot gained compensation for being badly drawn at Ascot, including those from the low numbers on the straight course.

We have them in our database - stay tuned 😉

📌 It’s true this is a horse racing newsletter, and we don’t crossover sports often, but the Paddock Report team watched most of the 2026 World Cup and can’t wait for 2030’s odds to be released after Sunday’s final.

Why? So we can bet on Morocco.

Three reasons why:

1️⃣ Morocco made the semi-finals and quarter-finals in the last two World Cups - losing only 2-0 to France on both occasions.

2️⃣ Morocco won the 2025 FIFA U-20 World Cup final, beating Argentina. They now have a wealth of young talent coming through to blend with experienced heads.

3️⃣ Morocco will host the 2030 World Cup, along with Spain and Portugal.

You know what to do - each-way style.

► ITV4 (free): Newbury: 1.55, 2.25, 3.02, 3.37; Market Rasen: 2.10, 2.45; Ripon: 3.15 

We’re off to play Full Stride on PS5 wearing our Spain shirts ahead of Sunday’s final, but we’ll be back in time for next weekend’s big one - King George Day at Ascot.

Until then…

..keep ‘em peeled 👀

The Paddock Report Team.

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