McGuinness bids for further glory with Laugh A Minute Ado McGuinness, still basking in the glow of his first Group 1 win with A Case Of You in the Prix de l’Abbaye at Longchamp last Sunday, is hoping for another big sprinting success this weekend at York. The Lusk trainer sends Laugh A Minute over for the Coral Sprint Trophy Handicap and is expecting a big run on Saturday with a low draw and some cut in the ground. A maximum field of 22 lines up for the £100,000 six-furlong dash and connections of the six-year-old gelding, a Listed winner at Cork earlier this year, will be hoping for better luck than when repeatedly denied a clear run at the Curragh last time. McGuinness said, “We were going to go for the Listed race at the Curragh on Sunday (Hatstone Solicitors Waterford Testimonial Stakes) but we felt he was well handicapped. “He was unlucky the last day at the Curragh where he got badly impeded. “It’s one of the last big handicap pots and he just gets in at the bottom. Ronan (Whelan) goes over to ride him. He knows him well and I think he’ll run a big race. “I wouldn’t want to see the ground go real heavy but I think they are going to get some dry days which will help. “It’s soft at declaration time and if it stays like that I’d be happy. “He has a low draw which looks the side to be on, although I spoke to David Loughnane and he said it’s not too biased. Hopefully he’ll run a nice race.” Reflecting on the breakthrough Group 1 win in the Abbaye he added, “I thought I was dreaming! “I knew by his work at home that he’d improved about 10lb since the start of the season. “It was good ground when he ran well in the Flying Five, which was his first time over five, and we knew he liked cut in the ground. “When you have a good five-furlong horse he needs to be able to stay five proper and not just have speed.” There is further Irish interest in the Coral Sprint Trophy with the Michael Grassick-trained Verhoyen, impressive winner of a valuable Curragh handicap earlier this year, while Gulliver will bid to land this prize for a third successive year.
