Lazzat leads 22 contenders for Sprint Cup gold

French star Lazzat, July Cup hero No Half Measures and the supplemented Sky Majesty are among 22 potential runners in the Betfair Sprint Cup at Haydock on Saturday.

Jerome Reynier’s Lazzat got the better of Japanese ace Satono Reve when striking Royal Ascot gold in the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes on his penultimate start.

He suffered a surprise defeat when bidding for back-to-back wins in the Prix Maurice de Gheest at Deauville last time, but is a 2-1 favourite with Paddy Power to get back on the winning trail in this weekend’s Group One feature on Merseyside.

No Half Measures reduced Richard Hughes to tears when providing the former leading jockey with his first top-level success as a trainer in Newmarket’s July Cup and she will get the opportunity to prove that shock 66-1 victory was no fluke.

Hughes could also saddle Sayidah Dariyan, who was beaten four lengths into seventh place in the Nunthorpe at York a fortnight ago.

Hughes said: “She (No Half Measures) looks really good at the moment and we are really pleased with her. She has had a nice gap, but we always thought this was going to be her Derby.

“When we got started with her in the spring, we said the Sprint Cup at Haydock Park was her race as it is normally slow ground but either way now it doesn’t matter what the ground is really.

“If it is slower ground up there, she will step forward again.”

Of Sayidah Dariyan, the trainer added: “She missed the kick in the Nunthorpe trying her over five furlongs. We were hoping she would be quick enough, but when you miss the kick like that in a sprint you have no chance, however she ran on strongly to the line. I was impressed with her.

“Her only dent is the Nunthorpe, but she has plenty of valid excuses for that effort.

“No Half Measures has been there and done it, but I have high regard for both fillies and I dare not say which is better as they are two good fillies that are going the right way.

“If it is slow ground at Haydock it would hamper her performance a little bit, whereas we know it is fine for No Half Measures, but she is a very good filly.”

William Haggas has supplemented fast-improving filly Sky Majesty to join similarly progressive stablemate Almeraq at a cost of £20,000.

Sky Majesty is one of two supplementary entries along with Eve Johnson Houghton’s Rage Of Bamby.

Other leading contenders include Harry Eustace’s Commonwealth Cup heroine Time For Sandals and the James Fanshawe-trained Kind Of Blue, who won last season’s Qipco British Champions Sprint and bounced back from an underwhelming start to his campaign when third in the Phoenix Sprint at the Curragh.

Aidan O’Brien has left in Whistlejacket, who has not been seen since finishing down the field in the July Cup, but he appears far from certain to make the trip to Haydock.

“Whistlejacket is in at Haydock but he could miss that and wait for the Flying Five at the Curragh the following Saturday,” O’Brien said on Monday.

“He was a very quick two-year-old so we might get him back for that. He could be on his way back.

“He’s quick, it’s just taken a while to get him back, the last day was a bit of a mess as well but he could be back for that.”