Henry Candy will launch a twin-pronged attack on the Betfred Sprint Cup at Haydock Park on Saturday in an attempt to prevent Eddie Lynam, his Irish counterpart, completing a clean sweep of Britain’s premier dashes.
Candy said yesterday that Music Master and Dinkum Diamond were on course for the six-furlong showpiece. The former, generally 8-1 third favourite, will be reunited with Dane O’Neill, who has been unable to ride in his past two starts, while either Oisin Murphy or Ben Curtis will partner the latter, provided he makes the cut.
Lynam, having already saddled the winners of the King’s Stand, Diamond Jubilee, July Cup and Nunthorpe this summer, relies on Sole Power, although the seven-year-old’s decorated CV does not include a success beyond five furlongs. “Eddie’s got control of all the group ones but someone has got to break his stranglehold,” Candy said.
“Music Master would not have the out-and-out speed of Airwave or Kyllachy [two of his past top sprinters] but there is more improvement in him and I’m hopeful he will run well.”
A big horse who has taken time to fill his frame, Music Master was a fine fourth in the Diamond Jubilee at Royal Ascot and resumed winning ways at Newbury, when ridden more patiently.
Advertisement
“Those tactics were by design because he does too much when he goes off in front,” Candy said. “I think Fergus [Sweeney, his jockey] would like to have been a bit handier but it just didn’t pan out that way, as so often happens when you are using those tactics. Before that, at Ascot, I think if he’d been drawn in the main bunch he would not have been far away.”
Candy is one of Britain’s longest-serving trainers, having held a licence since 1974. This year has been among his best — he has saddled 29 winners and boasts a strike-rate of 16 per cent — and the daily challenges continue to motivate him.
He said: “I enjoy it as much as ever and my neighbour, Erik Penser [the owner], shared some wisdom the other day at Newbury when he told me there were only two reasons why I would retire: ‘if you were dead or if nobody sent you horses any more.’ Fortunately, neither is quite applicable at the moment.
“We’ve been lucky to achieve what he have this year but it’s not all been plain sailing. I’d love to have run Limato in the Gimcrack last month, and Music Master in the Nunthorpe, but they had dirty scopes.”
Limato will instead contest a £300,000 sales race at Doncaster next week or the Dubai Duty Free Mill Reef Stakes at Newbury on September 20. Next year, he could be a beneficiary of the revised sprint programme, which will include a new group one contest for three-year-olds at Royal Ascot. “It would be a logical aim,” Candy said.
Advertisement
POWER PLAYS
How Eddie Lynam-trained horses have dominated this year’s top sprints
June 17 King’s Stand Stakes at Royal Ascot: Sole Power (5-1) swoops late under Richard Hughes to beat his 15 rivals going away by just over a length
June 21 Diamond Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot: Slade Power (7-2 favourite) shows good speed throughout and puts his stamp on the race inside the final furlong under Wayne Lordan
July 12 July Cup at Newmarket: Lordan sends Slade Power (7-4 favourite) to the front a furlong from home and his mount readily fends off Tropics
Advertisement
August 22 Nunthorpe Stakes at York: Sole Power (11-4 favourite) produces another superb surge for Hughes to cut down his dozen rivals late on