Almeraq quickly left the disappointment of his Newmarket outing far behind, delivering a commanding performance in the Betfair Sprint Cup at Haydock Park. The race began with last year’s champion Big Mojo bursting from the stalls and sharing the early lead with Marvelman, but the real drama unfolded two furlongs from the finish. Paborus had been travelling smoothly when he entered the fray, yet the moment Almeraq, under the steady hands of his regular rider Tom Marquand, began to assert his dominance, the outcome was all but decided.
The 9‑4 favourite switched on his engines, pulling away from the field with a burst of speed that left his rivals trailing in his wake. He crossed the line four and a quarter lengths clear, a margin that underscored the superiority of his performance. This victory marked a dramatic reversal of fortune for the four‑year‑old trained by William Haggas.
Almost exactly a year earlier, Almeraq suffered a catastrophic fall in a sprint at York, an incident that effectively ended the riding career of his jockey Jim Crowley. "He’s had a lot of patching up since that York tumble, but to see him back in top form and capable of a win like this is extraordinary," Marquand said, noting that he had stepped in for Crowley when Almeraq captured the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot.
Marquand added, "Jim Crowley, who has now taken out a training licence, is embarking on a new chapter, and this horse has helped him start that chapter when he returned at Salisbury in the spring. That was an impressive comeback. We all hoped the ground was the factor that let him down at Newmarket in the July Cup, and he proved his worth at Royal Ascot, but we’re still just guessing at the reasons." The race also featured a number of other noteworthy storylines.
Daryz dazzled in a preparatory run for the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, while Sky Sports Racing highlighted jumps action from Bangor‑on‑Dee and offered insights from Francis‑Henri Graffard on his stable stars. Friendly Soul made a strong impression in the Prix Vermeille, and Daryz continued his upward trajectory with a dominant showing in the Prix Foy.
In the broader racing round‑up, Saddadd celebrated a Group One breakthrough, illustrating the depth of talent on display across the sport. Marquand summed up Almeraq’s season, "He’s now a dual Group One winner and is only getting stronger.
He’s a thrilling horse to partner with and a fantastic asset for the Shadwell operation." Looking ahead, all signs point toward the Qatar Racing British Champions Sprint at Ascot on 17 October as Almeraq’s next target. Maureen Haggas, the trainer’s wife, hinted that the team may already be plotting a schedule for the following year.
"This was always his goal, and then hopefully Champions Day, but we’d love to keep him in training next season – who wouldn’t want that?" she said. She continued, "What he did today was unbelievable, and he clearly likes this type of ground.
At Royal Ascot he performed brilliantly on a surface he doesn’t usually favour, so now we have conditions that suit him, and Tom knows him inside out – it’s exciting. He’s an incredibly talented horse and Ascot is the obvious next stop." Haggas, who was also present at Ascot, echoed the enthusiasm: "I was thrilled to bits.
He won here on fast ground during the Royal meeting, but he looked equally impressive today on slower ground. He settled well and accelerated nicely.
He’ll be back here for Champions Day." Long‑time Shadwell racing manager Angus Gold added his perspective, "Touch wood everything goes well – he got the cover and the ground suited him. The gap opened at the perfect moment and he took off.
He’s beaten a couple of very good horses, proving that Newmarket was a false alarm. Everything unfolded as Tom wanted. He settled at the back, and at Newmarket he saw daylight and was too keen." In summary, Almeraq’s resurgence from a painful fall to a dominant Sprint Cup victory illustrates the resilience of both horse and connections.
The win not only restores his reputation after a disappointing Newmarket run but also cements his status as a top‑class sprinter capable of thriving on a variety of ground conditions. With the British Champions Sprint looming and potential plans for the 2027 campaign already taking shape, Almeraq’s future looks bright, promising further excitement for fans of the sport and the Shadwell stable alike.