Sky Bet Ebor Festival contender to be new ground for Aprahamian

The 2025 Sky Bet Ebor Festival will provide the stage for many of racing’s biggest names, but it is also set to give one stable its first experience of such limelight.

At the start of August, trainer Billy Aprahamian sent out Super Saiyan at Doncaster to become his first-ever Flat winner.

Now, Aprahamian, who since 2022 has built up a blossoming National Hunt operation from his base in Northamptonshire, is aiming the lightly-raced sprinter at York’s Sky Bet Constantine Handicap on Saturday 23 August.

Aprahamian, a former assistant to Nicky Henderson, said: “I haven’t had any runners in big handicaps over jumps yet, so for this chap to suddenly come on the scene and be as smart as he is, it’s huge – absolutely massive.”

Super Saiyan, owned by footballer Ryan Kent, won a seven-furlong novice in late 2023 as a two-year-old, when trained by John and Thady Gosden.

The chestnut son of Night Of Thunder was unraced the following season, only re-emerging for a six-furlong novice at Doncaster on 2 August, having switched strings.

According to Aprahamian, Super Saiyan had experienced problems, but “nothing major”. He had been “one of those horses that would struggle to keep on the move”.

However, there was no hint of ring-rustiness after a 606-day lay-off as he burst from the starting stalls to make every yard of the running in triumphing by an emphatic four lengths, for jockey Sean Kirrane.

Aprahamian, who will have a 25-strong team for the jumps season, said: “All I knew was that he was quite quick, certainly compared to my jumps horses.  

“I had no idea what to expect from him and when we got to the two-furlong pole and Sean suddenly went three lengths clear, I was like ‘Holy Moly’! 

“Plan A was to track Mr O’Meara’s favourite (Rogue Allegiance) and see what we could do. Anyway, he jumped out the gate like a missile and Sean just let him roll away. He was very complimentary about him, that’s for sure.”

Next on the agenda is a £120,000 handicap on Sky Bet Ebor day. It’s new ground – “all a bit of whirlwind” – for the 35-year-old ex-polo professional and former Irish Guards officer Aprahamian, but he’s hoping Super Saiyan can climb further up the sprinting ranks after his Doncaster fireworks.

Aprahamian said: “I’d like to think he’d sharpen for it – he’s certainly come out of the race very well.

“He’s been wrapped in cotton wool since Doncaster. Hopefully, we can get him there in one piece and in good health.”