Hannon sprint challenge looks Hot
Richard Hannon jnr has singled out dual winner Hot as his father’s leading protagonist in the Weatherbys Super Sprint at Newbury on Saturday.
Hannon snr has the Xaar colt engaged in the five-furlong dash, which he has won five times in recent years, along with Lady Livius, The Snatcher, Godfrey Street and Gamble In Gold.
“We ran Hot twice on softish ground early on in the year,” Hannon jnr told At The Races.
“He had been working great at home and we took him to the races, but he was a little bit disappointing. Since then though, he has raced on a firm surface and he has been different class and has never really looked like being beaten.”
Hot has not looked back since picking up the winning thread, scoring in decisive fashion at Leicester and most recently Bath.
Reflecting on his latest success, Hannon jnr said: “He travelled very well, picked up and did it all himself.
“It was a pretty good performance for a two-year-old who was only having his fourth race.
“He only cost about £12,000, so he gets into the Super Sprint on a pretty light weight and, on that performance, it makes him an ideal candidate to run well.
“He runs in the same colours as If Paradise, who won it two years ago.”
Also nominated by Hannon jnr to run well is the filly Gamble In Gold, who has not raced since finishing sixth in the National Stakes at Sandown at the end of May.
“She won on her debut and beat a nice filly of Ed Dunlop’s called Give Me The Night, who has won since,” he went on.
“She is a filly with an awful lot of speed, but had quite a hard race at York in a Listed race where she only went down by a head.
“She then went to the National Stakes and we weren’t really happy with the way she was moving when she came back.
“Something clearly went wrong there – she never got a look in. She was drawn out wide. It has been a bit of a race to get her back.
“She is moving well now and we will work her a couple of times this week and hopefully we will just get there, but there won’t be much to spare.”
The yard also runs the The Snatcher, last seen winning at Windsor, the maiden Lady Livius and speedy Chester winner Godfrey Street.
“Hot and the filly, Gamble In Gold, would be the main two for Saturday but I wouldn’t underestimate Godfrey Street as he is a pretty smart horse,” Hannon jnr concluded.
