Haydock Sprint Cup set to bring out best in Magical Memory

A drop in trip and return to Haydock is expected to bring out the best in Magical Memory, who is line for the 32Red Sprint Cup a week on Saturday.

Magical Memory, the flagbearer for owners Kennet Valley Thoroughbreds following the retirement of Tullius last week, finished fourth in the Prix Maurice de Gheest over six and a half furlongs on his most recent outing, fading in the closing stages of the Group 1 contest.

Sam Hoskins, racing manager for the owners, said: "Magical Memory is going well and the plan is to head straight to Haydock for the Sprint Cup.

“Andrea Atzeni got off him at Deauville and said the six and a half furlongs stretched him a bit. He had beaten [third-placed] Tupi before over six furlongs, although I'm not sure he would have beaten [winner] Brando given the way he won that day.”

Magical Memory has gone close to winning the Group 1 Sprint Cup before, failing by just under a length in 2015 when going down to Twilight Son and Strath Burn.

The five-year-old is a 16-1 shot this year, and Hoskins added: “He deserves to take his chance again. It's going to be a really good race with Harry Angel, Brando and the likes, but you never really know with these sprints.”

Hoskins already has his eye on another big sprint target for Magical Memory, with the William Hill Ayr Gold Cup a possibility for the Charlie Hills-trained gelding, who is a 25-1 chance for the big handicap.

“It's interesting the handicapper has dropped him a couple of pounds to 110 because he's also in the Ayr Gold Cup,” Hoskins added. “If he ran well at Haydock we could back him up two weeks later at Ayr.”