Suit to sample joy of six
Sunday 19 August 2012
Strong Suit is to step back to six furlongs for the Betfred Sprint Cup at Haydock after just failing to peg back Lethal Force in Newbury's Hungerford Stakes.
Connections of the four-year-old had their disappointment at a narrow defeat in the Group Two contest tempered by Strong Suit's best performance of the season so far.
A three-times Group winner last season, Strong Suit made a belated reappearance at Royal Ascot, where he was well beaten in the Queen Anne Stakes over a mile, before being unsuited by the heavy ground in the six-furlong July Cup at Newmarket.
"We are in no doubt that Strong Suit was the best horse in the race and that he should have won," trainer Richard Hannon told his website.
"Ryan (Moore) gave Lethal Force too much rope out in front, he should have tried to reel him in earlier, but these things happen in racing and it is no good dwelling on it."
David Redvers, who manages the affairs of Sheikh Fahad, owner of Strong Suit, said: "We have had better days, but at least it was encouraging to see Strong Suit back to form, and now we can only hope that we get similar ground for the Group One Sprint Cup at Haydock next month."
Sheikh Fahad's colours were, however, carried to victory by Pearl Acclaim in the Horn Blower Conditions Stakes at Ripon and the Acclamation colt is set to grace Newbury next in the Mill Reef Stakes after his emphatic win over Ashaadd.
"In hindsight, I wish we had waited for the Gimcrack (at York) because he definitely looks to be a Group horse," said Redvers.
"We will soon find out as his next race will be the Group Two Mill Reef Stakes at Newbury."
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