Betfair Official Blog

Haydock Sprint Cup betting

The Haydock Sprint Cup, run over six furlongs, is always a hotly contested betting heat that tends to attract the cream of European sprinting talent.

In 2005, Eric Alston's Reverence justified his odds when winning in fine style on rain-softened ground and landed some significant bets in the process, but there are few strong trends in a race which has proved equally lucrative for those betting on both three-year-olds and older horses.

French trainer John Hammond has won the Haydock Sprint Cup on three times occasions since 1991 (most recently with Nuclear Debate in 2001) and if represented again, the betting should provide a solid guide to the odds of him repeating the feat.

Tim Easterby has won two of the last seven running - in 2000 with Pipalong, and then striking again to land some hefty bets with Somnus in 2003.

Amongst the jockeys only Kevin Darley has won the race more than once in recent years (Pipalong & Reverence) and the betting will offer some clues as to his chances of adding to his tally.

The Group 1 Sprint Cup is Haydock's biggest race of the flat season and a huge crowd means many bets will be struck as the field go down to post and odds can change significantly shortly before the off.