Starman Aims for Newmarket-Haydock Sprint Double

Tom Marquand may have firmly cemented himself as one of Britain's elite jockeys but that does nothing to dilute the excitement of riding a bona fide star on a big day and he says rides like Starman  are what makes all the hard work worthwhile, as he hailed the Ed Walker-trained sprinter as "the one to beat" in the Betfair Sprint Cup (G1).

The emphatic Darley July Cup (G1) winner is aiming to become only the third horse this century—after Dream Ahead in 2011 and Harry Angel in 2017—to complete the Newmarket-Haydock sprint double, and confidence is unsurprisingly high given he had all but two of his 10 Saturday rivals trailing behind him on the July course two months ago.

Only Happy Romance , the sole filly in the line-up, and outsider Nando Parrado  were spared on that occasion as Starman's electrifying turn of foot boosted him a length and a quarter clear of his nearest rival, with today's primary adversaries Creative Force  and Art Power  back in fifth and fourth.

Owned and bred by David Ward, the 4-year-old's two defeats have come on soft ground, including when running a still respectable third in the LARC Prix Maurice de Gheest (G1) last time, and Marquand is sure the quick Haydock surface will bring out the best in Starman.

He said: "These are the rides that you put in all the hard work for and they're hard to come by. The run in France was really solid on ground he didn't enjoy and if he can recreate something near to what he did in the July Cup then he goes in as the one to beat without a doubt."

Marquand, who has ridden Starman in all but one of his seven career starts, is chasing a third group 1 of the year having also struck on Addeybb  in the Longines Queen Elizabeth Stakes (G1) in Australia. He believes the challenge of readying the exceptional sprinter for battle has been an altogether different one compared to the seasoned William Haggas-trained campaigner.

"Starman's got a very different profile to a lot of the other big horses I've come across," Marquand said. "With Addeybb, he was already warmed up to it whereas this fella was still quite raw.

"He was exciting last year but has still only had a few runs and is hopefully still on that upward curve of showing what he's capable of."

'It's a Matter of Time Before We Win a Big One'

The combination of Tim Easterby, Silvestre de Sousa, and King Power Racing swept up the last group 1 sprint in Britain with Winter Power  in the Coolmore Wootton Bassett Nunthorpe Stakes (G1), and the Yorkshire trainer is bullish he can repeat the trick with Art Power.

The 4-year-old led for a long way in the July Cup with only Glen Shiel for company on the far side before being outgunned close to the line. That was the second time he has fallen to Starman this season.

Easterby makes no secret of the high regard in which he holds Art Power—now making his sixth appearance in group 1 company—and is convinced he can makes his mark at the highest level.

He said: "He's a bloody good horse and it's a matter of time before we win a big one with him. His attitude is what impresses me most, he's just a super horse to have.

"He's in great form and I'm sure the track will be in real good fettle for him as they'll have prepped it well. The fast ground will really suit him."