3 minutes Barry Hill has been on fire the last few days and has another NAP for you after yesterdays NAP romped home in style.
2.57 NEWBURY
Hallgarten And Novum Wines Hackwood Stakes (Group 3)
REGIONAL - 2/1 (NAP)
Group 1 sprinter REGIONAL has been flying the flag in top company for the best part of two years and looks ready to remind everyone just how good he is in the feature race at Newbury on Saturday. Dropping back in class, this could be the perfect moment for Edward Bethell’s star to return to the winners’ enclosure.
A proper heavyweight on the sprinting scene, Regional really announced himself last summer when finishing a strong fifth in the Nunthorpe at York before going one better and landing the Sprint Cup at Haydock in September. That win confirmed him as one of the best sprinters around and, while he hasn't got his head in front since, the standard of races he’s been contesting has been nothing short of elite.
He’s hardly been slouching. This year alone he’s finished second to the brilliant Aussie mare Asfoora in the King Charles III Stakes at Royal Ascot, then backed it up with a third in the same race a few weeks ago, behind American Affair and Frost At Dawn. And in between those two Royal Ascot efforts, he flew the flag in Dubai, finishing a cracking third in the Al Quoz Sprint behind George Boughey’s Believing.
Now he’s back at Newbury and ready to right the wrongs of last year when he ran below par in this very race. He was fourth that day, but there are reasons to forgive him. He was carrying a penalty and giving away five pounds to the likes of Elite Status and Kind Of Blue, who both finished ahead of him. That’s not the case this time and both of those rivals have hit the buffers a bit since. Elite Status now wears first-time cheekpieces in an effort to wake him up, while Kind Of Blue has been out of sorts.
Jarraaf lines up too, but he's rated ten pounds lower than Regional and arrives after a forgettable run at Ascot. This is a much tougher ask. Diligent Harry is more interesting on paper and has the talent to mix it in this sort of race, but he’s not exactly what you’d call reliable. He also has to carry a three-pound penalty which won’t make things any easier.
Looking further down the field, King's Gamble and Khaadem are the wild cards. King’s Gamble has not been seen for almost a year but remains on a mark of 110 after just five runs. Only two of those were over this trip, so there could be more to come if he’s tuned up and ready. Khaadem, the old rogue at nine years of age, is back from a long break. He’s one of those who could finish first or last and you wouldn't be shocked either way. He’s still got ability but doesn’t always show it.
All things considered, this looks a golden chance for Regional to get back on track. He’s been mixing it with the best of the best, carries no penalty this time, and should find this a much easier assignment. If he runs his race, they’ll need something special to stop him. This could be his day to shine again.
