Weatherby’s Super Sprint
Established in 1991, this race has become one of the most competitive 2-year-old races in the Calendar. It stands out for its unique approach to the weights that are allocated, which are based on the price that the horse achieved at auction, rather than the traditional method of handicapping them based on their official rating and ability. The race was the idea of Lord Carnarvon, the racing manager to the late Queen Elizabeth II and the trainer Richard Hannon Snr, who wanted to develop a contest that gave connections of all means the opportunity to win a big summer prize. The riding weights are allocated in accordance with the sales prize, with 1lb deducted for every £5,000 paid below the top sales price (£63,000) in the field. The race has always been run at Newbury in July over 5-furlongs.
Record Winners
In a race that normally has 20+ runners, it is no surprise to see that there isn’t one Jockey that dominates the record books. In fact, no Jockey has ridden more than 2 winners of the Super Sprint, with Michael Roberts (1992, 2001), Michael Hills (1994, 2000), Richard Hughes (2009, 2014) and Sean Levey (2020, 2021) sharing the lead. Whilst there isn’t a rider who dominates this field, there is one training yard that stands out above the rest. Given that the idea for the race was conceived by Richard Hannon Snr, it is no surprise to see that the Hannon yard have dominated this race with 11 wins since its inception in 1991. Hannon Snr still leads the way with 7 wins, but his son, Richard Hannon Jnr, who took over the licence in 2014, has added 4 winners to the family roster, including 3 of the last 5 winners.
Notable Winners
Due to the nature of the entry requirements, there have been a wide range of winners of this race, but perhaps its most successful winner came in just its second renewal in 1992, when the race was won by Lyric Fantasy. She was named as European Champion 2-year-old in 1992 and was the first winner of this race for the Hannon yard. She had already won the National Stakes and the Queen Mary at Royal Ascot before heading to Newbury but followed up this race by winning the Nunthorpe Stakes at York against her elders a month later, becoming the first 2-year-old to win an all age Group 1 since 1978. Although she failed to deliver as a 3-year-old, she did go on to produce 10 foals as a broodmare.
The race also produced the champion 2-year-old Filly in 2000 when it was won by Superstar Leo, trained by William Haggas. She had won the Norfolk Stakes at Royal Ascot a month before and went on to record the fastest winning time of any horse in the Super Sprint when she came home in 59.19s. She would go on to win the Flying Childers stakes before retiring to stud after a disappointing 3-year-old campaign. She would have 3 winning progeny, including the Molecomb winner Enticing.
The final Champion 2-year-old to win this race was Tiggy Wiggy, who won the contest in 2014, the first winner for Richard Hannon Jnr. She went on to win both the Lowther and the Cheveley Park Stakes after winning at Newbury and although she also failed to hit the same heights as a 3-year-old, she did finish 3rd to Legatissimo in the 1,000 Guineas at Newmarket.
Key Trends
With 25 Juveniles spread across the straight course, it is hard to form too many trends that can help to identify the winner as so much will depend on the track bias on the day and the location of the early pace. Given that the yard has such a good record in this race, it will be important to look at the runners from the Hannon yard, especially those that have either run in the National Stakes at Sandown or Royal Ascot. Aside from that, the most important statistic would appear to be the weight carried. Since 1991, only 4 horses have carried more than 9-0 to victory and so looking towards the bottom of the weights, especially at the Fillies, can be a profitable strategy.
This years’ race is due to be run at 3:35 on Saturday 22nd July. Don’t forget to check out our YouTube and Social Media Channels for our teams thoughts on the race.
