La Cucaracha Among 17 Top-Class Entries For William Hill Cup

A total of 17 runners, a maximum field, have been declared at today´s 48-hour declaration stage for Saturday´s £225,000 Group One William Hill Sprint Cup at Haydock.

Among the hopefuls for this prestigious six-furlong contest is the Barry Hills-trained La Cucaracha, an 11/1 chance with the sponsor, who won York´s Group One Nunthorpe Stakes on her last start, although owner Guy Reed will not risk his home-bred filly on soft ground and a final decision on her participation could come tomorrow.

Conditions could well come good for La Cucaracha according to Haydock´s clerk of the course, Kirkland Tellwright, who reports the current going as: 'Good to soft on the home straight, Good to soft, soft in places on the back straight.

'We have had 5mm of rain before 11am this morning but the rest of the week is forecast to be dry.

'I would expect the ground to be on the easy side of good by the weekend with possibly the only mention of soft in the going description being in the back straight.'

Reed interrupted his holiday in France today to reveal: 'La Cucaracha has come out of York perfect although I see the ground is on the soft side at the moment - she wouldn´t run on soft.

'I hope that it does come firm and people are waiting to see what the ground is like. It is an important race and I would very much like to participate - she´s not bound to run but I´m always hoping to run.

'On a race of this description, particularly in a sprint race, you´ve got to have everything right and it´s no good running on unsuitable ground

'Tomorrow there will be racing at Haydock and there will be jockeys´ opinions and they will have some views on the ground. If you look at her history, she doesn´t like soft ground - she likes it firm and her performances have been on firm. All of the important races which she has won this year have been on firm.'

La Cucaracha has been drawn 17 of 17.

'The draw is superb but I don´t think that there will be much in the draw,' opined the owner.

'There are horses entered that make the running and there´s ours who doesn´t want to make the running. Therefore a view of the draw can be totally different - it isn´t necessarily so advantageous if you have to give the horse a chance [to get into the race].

'We don´t have to go off with a bang because we have got a good draw. The racing tomorrow will tell us a lot of things - I don´t think the draw will come into it and it´s the same for everybody.'

La Cucaracha´s win on the Knavesmire provided Reed with his first Group One success.

Asked how long Hills had been training for him, he quipped: 'Too long!

'No seriously five or six years and he´s done very well for me. It´s not roses all the way in this game and you have some bad times - trainers do and owners do - maybe journalists do too!

'Her win at York was very special indeed - much has been made of it and I don´t mind that. To get a Group One winner with the international competition that there is, particularly as I bred her, is a very rewarding situation.

'I think to say that I went into racing many years ago to win a Group One is overstating the situation - I went into racing probably naively, certainly as a sport to enjoy and if good fortune comes your way, then you´re grateful. To say at the end of the day that you haven´t had a Group One winner so you haven´t succeeded in the sport is overstating the objective.'

La Cucaracha will face stiff opposition from the sponsor´s 13/8 ante-post favourite Proclamation, who was supplemented for £15,000 into the race on the strength of his victory in the Group One Sussex Stakes at Glorious Goodwood, and market mover Gift Horse, trained by David Nicholls, who will be ridden by Kieren Fallon and is now a 4/1 chance with William Hill.

Other notables include Goodricke (5/1), runner-up in the Group One Prix Maurice De Gheest on his last start, and 12/1 shots Galeota and Etlaala. The former was runner-up in the Group One Golden Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot at York, while Etlaala, also trained by Hills, was third in the Group One Darley July Stakes at Newmarket on his last outing.