Battaash Primed For Temple Return

[Wandering Eyes]

Sprinters take centre stage at Haydock on Saturday, with no bigger draw than Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum’s Battaash (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) in the G2 Armstrong Aggregates Temple S. Having undergone wind surgery since his four-length dismissal of the previous year’s G1 Prix de l’Abbaye heroine Marsha (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}) in the latest edition of that five-furlong feature at Chantilly in October, the 4-year-old is ready to apply for leading status among Europe’s fast brigade. “Haydock is a beautiful, flat track and I think Battaash should really enjoy it,” trainer Charlie Hills said of the fiery gelding, whose antics in the preliminaries meant he did not shine when fourth in the G1 Nunthorpe S. at York in August. “We can saddle him up in the stables there and it is a good lead-up for him. He has had a couple of issues with the stalls in the past. We have had Gary and Craig Witheford down the last couple of weeks and Battaash has been as good as gold and not put a foot wrong. He can put his game face on and at York it obviously got to him, but he has not shown any signs of that this year. He was so impressive in France last season and the time of the Prix de l’Abbaye tells you that as well. We have obviously got a penalty and there are some very fast horses in the race. It is not going to be straightforward.”

Revitalised by a spell on the all-weather, Kachy (GB) (Kyllachy {GB}) takes on Battaash off a barely-believable nine-length defeat of the useful yardstick Growl (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}) over Chester’s turning five furlongs May 11. Sixth and fifth in the last two renewals of this, David Lowe’s 2015 G3 Molecomb S. scorer could still be progressing and is in a happy place at present. “Kachy is in good shape after his win at Chester the other week,” trainer Tom Dascombe said. “It’s a proper race and he doesn’t even come out second-best on the ratings. The conditions should be good for him, but I just wish the race was at Chester! That track really plays to his strengths. He didn’t just win there the last day, he destroyed them. He had the race won after 50 yards. He came out of the race fine and didn’t lose much weight.”

David Armstrong’s filly Mabs Cross (GB) (Dutch Art {GB}) has to step up again after her career-best win in a below-par edition of Newmarket’s G3 Palace House S. three weeks ago, but is unexposed and trainer Michael Dods knows what a top-class sprinter looks like. “Mabs Cross has come out of her victory at Newmarket in great form,” he said. “She won nicely at Newmarket and hopefully Haydock gets a couple of the showers which are forecast. Battaash is a top-quality sprinter and we have it all to do to match him–he looks to be a sprinter out on his own at the moment.”

View the full article