'It’s frustrating - he's a Group 1 horse and very talented' - Ed Bethell eyes step back up in class for 'ground dependent' Regional

Ed Bethell has blamed the showers at Newbury for Regional's defeat in Saturday's Hackwood Stakes and maintains his star sprinter is still up to Group 1 level.

Regional was sent off favourite for the Group 3 contest after third-placed finishes in the Al Quoz Sprint and King Charles III Stakes at Royal Ascot this season, but was unable to make the drop in class count when filling the same position behind shock winner Rage Of Bamby. 

Bethell attributed the defeat to the ground and is not shirking from going back up to the top level for either the Prix Maurice de Gheest at Deauville on August 10 or Sprint Cup at Haydock on September 6, which he won in 2023.

"It was a bit of a s***show with the weather," said the trainer. "The rain came 40 minutes before the race and it got into the ground. He’s a fast-ground horse and, for all it might not have been soft, it was very loose on top and he just got no traction. It’s one of those things and we’ll put a line through it. 

"He ran his heart out, as he always does, it’s just a shame the weather came as it did. I was very pleased with how he ran and I’m very proud of him. It’s just frustrating because I got there early in the day and the ground was perfect for him."

Regional (noseband): finishes third behind Rage Of Bamby on SaturdayCredit: Edward Whitaker (racingpost.com/photos)

Regional is a best-priced 20-1 shot to regain his crown at Haydock, with that being his last win almost two years ago, but Bethell is confident the seven-year-old has another big day in him over six furlongs.

He said: "He’s got targets in the Maurice de Gheest and Sprint Cup, but he’s so ground dependent and that was clear on Saturday, so it will all depend on how the ground is as to where he’ll go. 

"I definitely wouldn’t have any reservations about going back up to Group 1 level. He’s a Group 1 horse and he probably didn’t run to his level at Newbury, but you can genuinely put that down to the ground. He’s very talented and there’s not many who continue to finish placed in races like that all the time."

Betfair Sprint Cup (Haydock, September 6)
Betfair Sportsbook: 2 Lazzat, 10 Arizona Blaze, Sayidah Dariyan, 12 Big Mojo, Inisherin, Notable Speech, Shadow Of Light, Symbol Of Honour, 14 Beauvatier, No Half Measures, Time For Sandals, Woodshauna, 16 bar.

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