Regional to be stepped up in trip for the Betfair Sprint Cup

Regional is set to be stepped up in trip for the Betfair Sprint Cup after running with credit in the Nunthorpe at York last week.

Having won a handicap on the Knavesmire in May before successfully stepping up in class in the Listed Achilles Stakes at Haydock the following month, the five-year-old was kept fresh for a tilt at Group One glory by trainer Ed Bethell.

He was beaten only two and a half lengths into fifth place, and Bethell is now keen to bid for another top-level prize over an extra furlong.

He said: “He ran a really good race. I was really happy with how he got on and he wasn’t beaten far.

“The complexion of the race changed when the winner went off like a scalded cat and fair play to the winner, he kept going and it was a fair performance.

“We’re pretty quick and we jumped well, but we just weren’t as quick as the winner into our stride. If you took him out of it, the complexion of the race would probably have changed dramatically, but it’s a horse race, he set a relentless gallop and won fair and square.

“It looked as if we need to step up to six furlongs maybe at that level. He just got run off his feet the whole way, but on the whole I’m delighted with how he ran and I think we’re possibly going to target the Sprint Cup at Haydock.

“Hopefully it stays dry and we’ll see how we get on.”