Minzaal Captures First Group 1 in Sprint Cup

In the aftermath of his first group 1 success, trainer Owen Burrows wasn't sure he'd get a single new owner from it. Given the way Minzaal  scorched home to hand the Lambourn trainer his second, he should worry no more.

The Shadwell-owned colt was in a totally different league to his rivals Sept. 3, traveling powerfully into contention under Jim Crowley before blasting home in the blink of an eye to score in the Betfair Sprint Cup Stakes (G1) by just under four lengths from last year's winner Emaraaty Ana .

Top-level sprints just aren't won in such a fashion. Thankfully for Burrows, in his most important of seasons, this one was.

The former jump jockey has bounced back admirably from having his team of horses vastly reduced as a result of Shadwell's downsizing following the death of Hamdan Al Maktoum last year.

He switched to a smaller yard but showed he was a trainer for the big occasion when gaining a group 1 breakthrough with Hukum  in the Dahlbury Coronation Cup (G1) at Epsom in June.

The joy of that landmark success was tempered when Hukum was found to have suffered a career-threatening injury, but Anmaat , Minzaal, and Alflaila  filled the void to give Burrows, before Saturday, an impressive 5-for-12 record in group races this year.

That strike rate is even better now after Minzaal delivered on the promise of his early career with a devastating display. 

"All credit to the team back home, they've been working hard, and we seem to be able to rock up on these Saturdays and get the job done, which is amazing," Burrows said. 

"It was a massively important year, you're soon forgotten in this game, and we're trying to attract outside owners. We don't have a lot of horses to run and big winners on a Saturday in group 1s are certainly hard to come by."

Minzaal won the Al Basti Equiworld Dubai Gimcrack Stakes (G2) in his first year but his second was blighted by injury and he was restricted to just two autumn appearances.

He has gradually been reaching his peak as a 4-year-old, and the form of his second to Highfield Princess  in last month's Arc Prix Maurice de Gheest (G1) received a major boost when victorious Highfield Princess  followed up in the Coolmore Wootton Bassett Nunthorpe Stakes (G1).

"It was a big performance, and he deserved it," Burrows said of his trainee. "He'd been knocking on the door at 2 and had an interrupted year last year, through no fault of his own as he injured himself in the box, and managed to get group 1-placed at the back end at Ascot. 

"He ran a big race in France last time, and Shaun (Muscroft), who looks after him, said he was in better form coming into this, and he was right. He's a pleasure to deal with. That's his one major attribute, he's got a temperament to die for. For a sprinter he's so laid-back about life. He just eats, sleeps, and works."

As the rider of Shadwell's unbeaten superstar Baaeed , Crowley has become accustomed to easy victories, and this was another.

"It was very smooth," he said. "He's always promised to win us a group 1, and he deserved that. He's a remarkable horse because he's so laid-back. The bell goes, and he's like a boxer, he just wakes up.

"He's not ground-dependent, that's as fast as he's run on, and he skipped across it, but he's equally effective with a bit of cut."

Minzaal is set to return to next month's QIPCO British Champions Sprint Stakes (G1), a race he finished third in last year, and he was cut to 5-2 (from 9-1) for the Ascot contest by bookmakers Paddy Power and Betfair.

Richard Hills, Shadwell's assistant racing manager, was thrilled Burrows had managed to mastermind yet another notable victory.

"It's been fantastic for Owen," he said. "With the circumstances, he had a lot fewer horses, but we selected what we thought were the best from a large number of horses, and we've been blessed that nearly all of them have come up and done well. 

"Minzaal was always destined to win a group 1, and today he's proved it. Owen and his team have done remarkably well, and we're very proud."