'We wouldn't swap him' - Inisherin camp confident their star can bounce back and make it second time lucky in Sprint Cup

The team behind Inisherin are hopeful their colt can bounce back to form and show his true colours in the Betfair Sprint Cup at Haydock on Saturday.

Inisherin has developed a hit-or-miss form profile, but Adam Ryan, assistant trainer to his father Kevin, believes a last-placed finish in the Prix Maurice de Gheest in August can be discounted as they seek to hit back in another Group 1 contest.

The four-year-old, who won the Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot in 2024, seemed to benefit from a break and wind surgery when returning to action in May, winning the Duke of York Stakes impressively. But he has since failed to land a blow in the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes and at Deauville.

Ryan said: "His last few runs haven’t panned out, and all we can do is put a line through his last run, but we're very happy with him. He seems in good health, and we're happy with his preparation.

"If we get him there in one piece, hopefully he can put his best foot forward."

Kevin Ryan: trainer of Inisherin

There are 22 remaining entries for the £400,000 contest, including two supplementary entries in Sky Majesty and Rage Of Bamby, and Lazzat, who heads the betting at 2-1 with sponsors Betfair.

Inisherin was the beaten favourite in last year's Sprint Cup but has winning form at Haydock, having landed the Sandy Lane Stakes over course and distance last season.

Ryan is not worried about conditions at Haydock, which were described as good on Tuesday. 

He said: "They don’t give Group 1s away. It’s a high-quality race and obviously Lazzat is the one to beat. He's been very impressive, but our horse has got proper Group 1 form. We've always said we wouldn't swap him, and hopefully he can go there and show his true colours. 

"He's won on all sorts of ground. It was soft enough when he won the Sandy Lane, it was quick when he won at Ascot and he's won on the all-weather. So he's pretty versatile."

Betfair Sprint Cup (3.35 Haydock, Saturday)
Betfair Sportsbook: 2 Lazzat, 8 No Half Measures, Sayidah Dariyan, Time For Sandals, 9 Sky Majesty, 10 Almeraq, 12 Kind Of Blue, 14 Big Mojo, Flora Of Bermuda, 16 Beauvatier, Inisherin, 20 bar.

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