Trainer Bryan Smart admits he and his team cannot wait to take on Battaash in the Coolmore Nunthorpe Stakes later this month as they prepare to enter their charge Alpha Delphini.
Battaash made the headlines once again last weekend as he won the King George Qatar Stakes at Glorious Goodwood. The four-year-old has now won three of his last four races but Smart believes there is not much between Alpha Delphini and the bay gelding.
Alpha Delphini was narrowly beaten last time he raced on the Knavesmire in a Listed race and he has not won since October 2017.
Despite the contrasting results, Smart believes his charge has a good chance of springing a surprise result at odds of 34.00. “I think we’ll have a crack at the Nunthorpe,” said Smart.
“He likes it at York and there’s a hell of a lot of prize-money on offer. “I know Battaash looked unbeatable at Goodwood, but he boiled over at York last year and you can never be afraid of one.
“Behind him at Goodwood, the rest were in a heap. We’ve beaten the second (Take Cover) already this year, so if we’d run there, we’d have been in that group.”
Battaash is the 1.80 favourite to win after his superb run at Goodwood, while the second favourite for the big race at York remains US Navy Flag at 6.00. Blue Point is also considered a strong fancy and Dafabet have that charge priced at 7.00.
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