Battaash Could Be Set For Date At Breeders Cup Meeting

Superstar Sprinter Battaash looks like he will be heading overseas for his next contest with the Breeders Cup meeting at the top trainer Charles Hills agenda for his stable star.

The trainer is waiting on the all clear from the five year olds owner Hamdan Al Maktoum, who had a superb time of things on the Friday at York when he watched Battaash bolt up in the Group One Nunthorpe Stakes and get rid of his hoodoo at the track and then half an hour later watched his bright two year old Molatham win the most expensive Maiden contest of the season.

The gelding is seen as one of the fastest horses on the planet and this season has been superb winning and racing in behind the now retired Blue point who was just to good for Hills' horse on a few occasions but with Battaash not having to deal with him anymore he has revelled in the opportunity.

Jim Crowley gave one his favourite horses a superb ride to take the Nunthorpe on Friday breaking Dayjur's 29-year-old track record and it was a huge step forward at York for Battaash who had never been at his best in all of his previous runs at the course but this performance was faultless.

He is now the 5/2 favourite to head over to the USA to run in the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint on November 2 at Santa Anita but he does also have two other options that could be fall back plans.

Charles Hills has stated that in the event that the owner does not want to send the sprinter to America he could go in the the Derrinstown Stud Flying Five at the Curragh on September 15 or have a third go at the Longines-backed Prix de l'Abbaye on October 6.

(Credit Racing Post) Charles Hills said: "We've got to do the right thing for the horse.

"There are three more races he could run in and they're far enough apart, but we don't want to get too greedy."He's got to have had a hard race on Friday, it must have taken quite a bit out of him. He has only lost 13 kilos and seems as happy as Larry, but we'll see how he is next week and then make a plan from there.

"He could go to Ireland, we're certainly going to have a look at it and see what's in the race. If he looks a shoo-in we'll obviously have to look at it. The Abbaye's more set and then the Breeders' Cup is something we'll have to talk to Sheikh Hamdan about."

He added: Dayjur went there and jumped the shadow, but there is a five-furlong turf race for Battaash. I'd love to see him go around there, I'd have thought he'd turn very well as he's such an agile and well-balanced horse. He should rail pretty well.

"The only concern is gate speed, those guys are really good from the gate and sometimes that can be where the race is won and lost. The exciting thing is he's only five and he's a gelding. We want him to still be here in three years' time."

The winning time on day three of the festival was 55.9 seconds bettered that of his owners old exploit Dayjur who set a time of 56.16 seconds back in 1990 and no one thought it would be done.

Hills said: "He was amazing – he's just so fast. Midway through the race, all the other horses were off the bridle and their riders were pushing away and Jim [Crowley] was almost trying to take him back still.

"He's an amazing athlete, so agile and well-balanced. He's such an exciting horse and I think he's grabbed the public's attention now."

Credit Racing TV