How To Bet £20 ante-post on the Betfair Sprint Cup

A big field and a fierce pace looks on the cards for the Betfair Sprint Cup at Haydock on Saturday and that can help Rohaan, a 9-1 chance with Betfred and Sky Bet, strike in the Group One feature.

It’s evident that the dual Wokingham winner is in his element when he can pounce late after being buried away in races run at end-to-end gallops over a straight 6f.

The David Evans-trained four-year-old, who Hollie Doyle is pencilled in to ride, should get his perfect set-up as 19 remain in the mix for the Group One feature with front-runners Art Power, Go Bears Go and Naval Crown on course to clash. Stablemates Flaming Rib and Brad The Brief, another pair who like to get on with things, are also possible contenders.

If there is some rain at the Lancashire venue this weekend, as the forecast suggests, then so much the better as he’s more versatile than most regards underfoot conditions.

Rohaan’s five previous runs at the highest level have all ended in defeat but he put up a remarkable effort to finish a close fifth in last year’s Flying Five at The Curragh after completely blowing the start.

And his fast-finishing fourth to Highfield Princess in the Maurice de Gheest at Deauville last month, when he would have gone even closer but for some traffic problems, again indicated he can win a big one when everything drops right for him. The winner didn’t let the form down when subsequently landing the Nunthorpe.

I wouldn’t worry about Rohaan’s below-par run at York last time as that muddling 7f contest, around a bend, was never going to show him to best advantage, plus he had also previously underperformed at that venue.

By contrast, Rohaan won at Haydock on his only previous run at the track, when scooping the Sandy Lane Stakes last summer. He’s a horse who probably takes a bit of knowing and Doyle will have learnt plenty about the gelding when a close fourth on him in the Hackwood Stakes, at Newbury last month, when they looked likely to win half a furlong out.

Minzaal landed the Hackwood and again finished just ahead of Rohaan in the Maurice de Gheest. However, it’s clear there is little between the pair and that is not reflected in the ante-post betting with Minzaal being no bigger than 4-1.

Naval Crown, quoted at 5-1, faded to finish fifth in Maurice de Gheest after being keen early on. The Platinum Jubilee Stakes winner, who was subsequently runner-up in the July Cup, commands respect, but his chance may be compromised by the other trail-blazers in line to take part.

Three-year-olds have won five of the past eight renewals but I’m not sure this year’s crop boast any stars. For instance, the first six home in the 14-runner Maurice de Gheest were all older horses, with the six three-year-olds in the field merely helping make up the numbers. It was a similar story in the July Cup and Nunthorpe, which doesn’t augur well for the sextet in the mix for Saturday’s showpiece.

I’m also going to have a saver on last year’s winner, Emaraaty Ana, who is a general 7-1.

There hasn’t been a two-time winner of the race since Be Friendly landed the first two renewals, in 1966-67, but Kevin Ryan’s charge won what was probably a stronger renewal 12 months ago and, like last year, lines up after being placed in the Nunthorpe.

He’d also previously showed up for a long way in the July Cup and it looks like he’s coming to the boil for the defence of his title after a light campaign.

£17 win on Rohaan at 9-1 with Betfred and Sky Bet

£3 win on Emaraaty Ana at a general 7-1