Sky Bet Sunday Series: Midgley has sights on £100,000 bonus

Earlier success at Newmarket and Chelmsford has left Paul Midgley chasing the sought after £100,000 Sky Bet Sunday Series bonus with Spring Is Sprung. His six-year-old sprinter set to face a maximum of 16 rivals in what he admits is “a fiercely competitive” Sky Bet Extra Places Handicap.

Midgley has had to have patience waiting for the opportunity at Haydock, having taken the difficult decision to declare his charge a non-runner at the Hamilton Park fixture on June 15.

The trainer explained: “It was one of those situations where we took him to Hamilton even though in our heart of hearts, we knew that the ground would be too slow for him. We gave ourselves every chance and, while you can’t help but feel that you missed an opportunity because of the weather, it wasn’t meant to be.

“The funny thing is that the handicapper had raised him to a mark of 81 for Hamilton but we’ve since dropped back to 80, and that’s despite his latest Chelmsford win working out well. 80 is a mark that I think he can still win from. We discussed taking weight off with a claimer, but Jason (Hart) knows him like the back of his hand which minimizes the risks, and you have to stick by your decisions.

“We’ve geared everything up for Haydock. The last six to eight weeks have been a little bit frustrating because he’s a fast-ground horse and he has had his optimum conditions but you daren’t run. You must go and try to bag this bonus first."

He added: “Spring Is Sprung is a stuffy horse who normally takes a couple of runs to get 100 pert cent so, with that in mind, we took him away last week and galloped him to leave no stone unturned. Touch wood, his preparation has gone well. He seems in great form, so it’s just a matter of getting him through to Sunday safely.”

“We’ll have to wait and see what the draw brings, but the good thing about him is that he isn’t reliant on anyone else. He goes and does his own thing from the front, so in that respect it simplifies things. With a mostly dry forecast we have a chance, and if it does go pear-shaped so be it.

“It’s possible that we’ll get another crack at York, in a better race (an 81-100), but in the back of my mind I feel that whatever happens on Sunday we’ll have to run again prior to that because we’ll be running out of (quick) ground for him. He’s only had four runs this year, so he’s had a light campaign.

“Whatever happens, he’s done what he was bought to do by winning a couple of nice races. John Blackburn [his owner] has been with us for a long while, and as other trainers will testify is a top man. He’s a good guy, sound as, a thoroughly likeable and genuine person. John has been a real supporter of our stable and for that we’re thankful.”

A probable opponent for the hat-trick seeker Spring Is Sprung is the recent Musselburgh scorer Curious Rover who carries the Battenberg silks of Ursa Major Racing.

The syndicate, which was formed in 2018 with the aim of giving the best possible value and experience to its members, has already broken through the 100-winner mark, yielding over £1 million in total prize money.

Craig Talbot (syndicate lead) said: “Most of our horses are based in the North, although we do have Prince Quattro in the South with James Owen. We have 12 different trainers now (43 horses), one of whom is Katie Scott who looks after Curious Rover.”

Curious Rover has already had a crack at the Sunday Series at Hamilton and while that didn’t go according to plan, he has since kicked on positively.

“Hamilton didn’t really suit but the prize money was attractive, so we took our chance. Jason (Hart) said he’d went too quick down the hill – approximately 45mph – and consequently he didn’t get home," Talbot said.

“He’s been in better form lately, finishing third at York with the winner of that race (Brazen Bolt) going onto win at Goodwood, and then he won with a bit in hand at Musselburgh.

“The handicapper has raised him 3lb to a new mark of 85, so William Pyle’s claim remains handy. He gets on well with Curious Rover (form figures 122531) and with a clearer run at York, William thought he might have won that race. He’s in good form so we go to Haydock hopeful.”

He added: “Katie (Scott) has said that he’s a victim of his own consistency from a handicapping perspective. He’s a tough boy who continues to put his head down and race. We didn’t know if he’d train on (from his juvenile days) but he’s been a star for Ursa Major Racing and is getting even better as a four-year-old.

“Katie has enjoyed another fine season with Luna A Inbhir Nis a flagbearer for her Borders-based stable. Our syndicate has five horses with Katie and each of those has won at least one race, which is fantastic.”

Haydock race on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday with Clerk of the Course Daniel Cooper expecting mostly settled weather prior to the three-day fixture. The outer track – with an outermost configuration – is in operation for Saturday and Sunday.

Cooper said on Tuesday morning: “We had 10mm of rain on Monday and we’re approaching 2-3mm of showery rain today (Tuesday), but it does then dry up for most of the week through to racing itself. We are keeping an eye on Thursday with some showers returning.

“I have a feel for things after this rain though and suspect it will just settle down and dry up. It’s still mid 20 degrees Celsius and we’ve got a strong breeze, so I think it’ll just settle back to relatively quick Flat racing ground, with a mixture of Good and Good to Firm ground expected.”

Last year’s Haydock Sky Bet Sunday Series fixture was a dramatic one with both American Affair and Letsbefrank (later successful at Pontefract) narrowly missing the £100,000 bonus and Cooper is looking forward to having another bonus-seeker heading to Haydock.

He said: “It’s really good to have these tangible stories to these racedays. Obviously, we enjoy our feature Saturdays at Haydock but there is a little bit of fun and a more relaxed family atmosphere to these Sky Bet Sunday Series fixtures. Stories about bonus-chasing are exactly what we like in racing. The Sunday Series is something to adapt to, enjoy, and to hopefully celebrate the triumphs that are possible.”

The final Sky Bet Sunday Series fixture is at York on September 8.