Sprint Cup challenge under consideration for Lake Forest City of York Stakes second Lake Forest could be set for a relatively quick return to action in Haydock’s Betfair Sprint Cup on Saturday week, providing conditions in Merseyside prove suitable. William Haggas’ battle-hardened gelding found just Notable Speech too good on the Knavesmire over what is arguably his optimum distance of seven furlongs. However, the versatile Lennox Stakes hero is also well capable of mixing it with the best of the sprint division and connections are keen to roll the dice in the six-furlong Group One at a time of the year where ground underfoot could begin to turn against the former Golden Eagle scorer. “Lake Forest ran a blinder and was beaten by a 2000 Guineas and Breeders’ Cup winner and he’s gone and run just another absolutely superb race,” said Sean Graham racing manager for Brighton & Hove Albion supremo Tony Bloom, who owns the horse alongside Ian McAleavy. “The problem we’ll have now is the ground will change. He will just about go in good to soft ground, and maybe handle soft OK, but once it gets heavy I just don’t think he can operate in it as well. “We’re looking at Haydock for the Sprint Cup and that would be one option. The ground would play a big part on if we go there and there’s also the Prix de la Foret on Arc weekend and after that we might look at the Breeders’ Cup Mile with him.” Lake Forest’s last appearance over six furlongs came at Royal Ascot when a close-up fifth in the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes, a race won by stablemate Almeraq. Reflecting on that outing, Graham added: “Our idea when he ran in the sprint at Ascot was to hold him up while they went really fast up front and then he can come through and finish strongly. “The trouble was they didn’t go that fast up front and we probably didn’t need to sit as far back as he did, but it’s easy saying that after the event.” A Breeders’ Cup Mile rematch with York conqueror Notable Speech could also prove a tantalising option at Keeneland later in the autumn for a horse that has netted his team over £3.5million in prize-money and is a standing dish in big contests across the globe. “Since he’s been gelded he’s so much more straightforward and a proper Group One horse,” continued Graham. “We can take him anywhere and if he gets his optimum conditions he’ll pop up and win one of these big races at some point. “He would be going round two bends in America which I think would suit and the thing with the Breeders’ Cup as well is there is a maximum field of around 12 and it’s not like Ascot where you have 20 plus runners. “I think William is more worried about the Americans being so quick out of the gate and whether he would lose too much ground at the start, but we’ll take it one race at a time with him and see.”
