Triple Time impresses after a year off in Superior Mile

Trainer Kevin Ryan hailed Triple Time (13-8 Favourite) as a “special” talent after watching him impress in the Group Three Best Odds On The Betfair Exchange Superior Mile Stakes at Haydock Park this afternoon, day three of the Sprint Cup Celebration.

The three year old hasn’t been seen since winning the Ascendant Stakes on this card last year, having missed the 2000 Guineas with a setback, but he was deeply impressive on return here, pulling clear of a small but classy field inside the final furlong to score by a length and a quarter under Andrea Atzeni.

Producing such a performance on the back of a year-long lay-off wasn’t lost on Ryan, who feels he could go to the very top next year and nominated the Group Two Qatar Prix Daniel Wildenstein at Longchamp on Arc weekend as his next potential outing.

He said: “This is a very good horse, he’s special. I was devastated when he had a setback before the Guineas, I thought he had a real chance. He’d actually done a great piece of work at Newmarket and came back with a bit of lameness. He had a little tiny stress fracture so we gave him lots of time.

“You can see he’s a big horse and he got very heavy and this was a bit quick on him. I’d have loved to have had another fortnight and another gallop in the end but he’s obviously very fresh and keen. They don’t usually win races when they’re doing that, he’s a big talent.

“He’s typical of a top-class horse, he’s got an abundance of natural speed and you could probably run him over six furlongs. He’ll probably end up getting 10 furlongs as he relaxes in his races, he was probably just a bit exuberant today. He’s an easy horse to train but he’s a heavy horse.

“We’re already thinking about next year, that’s the thing with Sheikh Mohammed Obaid, he starts to plan and it didn’t faze him at all (after the setback), he was always thinking about next year and he gave him as much time as he wanted. It’s great to get him back.

“I think he could be very versatile as far as the ground is concerned, he’s a very lightly-raced horse and I wouldn’t mind running him on soft ground or quick ground. I’ll have to discuss all of our options and we’ll make a plan.”

Winning jockey Andrea Atzeni said: “That was very impressive really as he hadn’t run since this meeting last year. We thought he was going to be a Guineas horse but he picked up an injury and that’s why he has been off for so long.

“He has won on this ground before but would probably appreciate a bit more juice. He’s a big-striding horse and when I let him down he picked up. He should come on for the race and is a nice horse. Having not run for a year, it was all about today and finding out if he still had it. It was a great training performance by Kevin and all the team to get the horse back here in top shape.”

Trainer Heather Main has revealed that she is considering a quick turnaround in Fridays Group Two Doncaster Cup for Island Brave (15-2), after he produced a determined display to win the Betfair Exchange Old Borough Cup Handicap for the second year running.

The eight year old was actually able to race off a 3lbs lower mark this time around and he was also assisted by jockey Gina Mangan’s 5lbs claim. Mangan was keen to get rolling on her charge, sitting prominently throughout, and having kicked for home at the top of the straight, Island Brave dug in admirably to tough it out for a three-quarter length success over Charging Thunder (17-2).

Main was absent for last year’s victory at Haydock and speaking after the race, she was thrilled with what she saw from both horse and jockey.

She said: “He gets better and better, he loves the game! It was a bit nerve-wrecking to watch but kicking on was the right thing to do and Gina did the right thing. He definitely likes this ground so I’m really glad it didn’t rain!

“Gina quite rightly said that she’d studied his races and she’d like to get rolling earlier, but then when they really picked it up I did worry! I just kept telling myself that it was fine but they just kept coming at him, he’s so tough and I’m thrilled.

“Gina did all of her homework and she follows instructions to a tee. She obviously has good fractions in her head and I think she’s a real up and coming jockey.

“Funnily enough I was looking at the Doncaster Cup this morning and I’ve entered him for that, so we’ll see how he comes out of this.

“The owner (Donald Kerr) is down at Kempton today, he had been a little bit poorly and it’s a bit of a treck up here for him but he’s fine now. He was here on his own last year and now I’m here on my own this year, so it’s quite funny!”

Winning jockey Gina Mangan added: “When he won it last year, he got a brilliant ride from Silvestre De Sousa who rode a real positive race. I just tried to emulate that and Heather’s horses are running very well, so I was very confident. He likes this quick ground too.

“That is my biggest winner to date and he is such a lovely horse to do it on. He is very straightforward and runs over two miles too, so I was happy to have some company up front.

“This whole riding game is a real team effort, including from the horse. When you have a willing partner like him, it just makes the job so much easier – I can’t believe we get paid to do this! I am so happy.”

Meanwhile, jockey Kieran Shoemark feels that the improving Inverness (6-1) could shape up into a stayer to follow next year, after he produced a game performance to win the Get Daily Rewards With Betfair Handicap over a mile and six furlongs.

The Charlie Hills-trained three year old arrived here with a string of good performances in staying handicaps under his belt so far this term, including when fourth in last month’s Melrose Handicap at York.

The son of Highland Reel has met trouble on a couple of occasions this term but Shoemark was much more positive this afternoon, kicking in the straight before holding off a late charge from the Frankie Dettori-ridden Irish Lullaby to score by a neck.

Shoemark reported Inverness to be rather coltish in the preliminaries and he feels that it could be next season when he’s seen to best effect. He said: “He deserved that as he’s gone close in a few of these handicaps. He’s got plenty of potential and could be a nice horse next year.

“He is still very colty and mentally slightly backward. He has a bit of growing up still to do but has plenty of potential. I wish they’d geld him! He’s going to be a fun stayer to go to war with next season.

“He jumped well and I wanted to be a bit more forward on him today. We went very steady fractions out in front and it was a two-horse race really up the straight.

“He stays exceptionally well, so I was quite confident turning in that he was going to lengthen and that he did. He had plenty of room around him and he enjoyed that - it was a very genuine performance.”