Cox has sights set on Sprint Cup for Coppull Clive Cox has identified the Sprint Cup at Haydock as a likely objective for Coppull following his fine effort to finish fourth in the July Cup on Saturday. The Bated Breath colt was considered a major player for the Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot last month off the back of a victory in the track’s May trial for the Group One contest – and while he could only finish eighth, there were mitigating circumstances as he fared best of those that raced nearest the stands’ rail. He stepped up to take on his elders for the first time at Newmarket over the weekend and ran an excellent race to finish just off the podium after being denied third place by Japanese raider Satono Reve right on the line. Confirming Group One Calibre at Newmarket Cox said: “He ran a blinder, we were so pleased. Unfortunately he didn’t just get the clearest passage through the last furlong, but he’s run an absolute blinder and I’m so pleased that he’s confirmed what we always thought about him. “It was a shame he was just touched off for third as it does make a big difference to the horse’s profile, but he’s proven he’s the top sort of calibre. “We were a little bit deflated at Ascot, expecting a similar performance, but as the day worked out the results were mirrored and I’m just so happy that he’s confirmed his Group One status.” Coppull holds an entry in the seven-furlong Lennox Stakes at Goodwood on July 28, but having bounced back to form he is set to stick to six for the time being. “We were a bit confused at Ascot and that’s why he was in the Lennox,” Cox added. “He had a hard race on Saturday and we’ll just feel our way forwards. The Haydock Sprint Cup would be the obvious angle to be looking at at this moment in time.” Waiting for the Rain to Return Cox also provided an update on another high-class sprinter based at his Lambourn yard in the form of James’s Delight. The five-year-old’s third-placed finish in the Greenlands Stakes at the Curragh in May reads well in light of the July Cup success of the winner Comanche Brave, but Cox is keeping his powder dry with his charge until he can find easier ground conditions. He said: “That form in Ireland looks very good doesn’t it? That is a chief ingredient with James’s Delight – he isn’t a firm ground performer. “He’s well entered and one day when the rain does return we’ll be ready.”
