Vandeek© Photo Healy Racing
Simon Crisford is confident there is still “lots to play for” with Vandeek this season after his star speedster confirmed the fire still burns bright with a third-place finish in the July Cup at Newmarket.
The Havana Grey colt looked every inch a top-class sprinter in the making following an unbeaten juvenile year which included back-to-back Group One wins in the Prix Morny and Middle Park Stakes, but his three-year-old campaign has so far been stop-start.
He suffered his first defeat at the hands of Inisherin in the Sandy Lane at Haydock on his May reappearance, and while the same horse blitzed his rivals in the Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot, Vandeek was stuck on the sidelines after unsatisfactory blood results scuppered his participation.
The Crisfords’ pride and joy was therefore on something of a retrieval mission on the July Course, and while he had to again make do with minor honours despite turning the tables on Inisherin, who could finish only fifth, connections are taking the positives out of his performance.
Simon Crisford, who trains Vandeek in partnership with his son Ed, said: “That was almost his first run of the season and it’s just caught him out really.
“Missing Ascot was a huge problem for us because he’s had to run in a championship race without a warm-up, so I think he’s acquitted himself with great credit.
“He’ll get busy now. He’s definitely trained on, which was the question. I think it was a big effort, it’s been a struggle to get him here, as when they have an abnormal blood count, you have to give them enough time to get back into top training for this race.
“He missed a bit of time and it hasn’t been straightforward. I’m sure this will bring him forward.”
Considering future options, Crisford added: “We’ll talk about the Prix Maurice de Gheest and the seven-furlong race at York possibly (City of York Stakes), if we decide to go down that route, but I’m not sure about that.
“There’s the Sprint Cup at Haydock and Champions Day (Qipco British Champions Sprint) as well, so there’s lots to play for.
“We know he’s trained on and we think he’s going to move forward for that run today.”
Splitting the winner Mill Stream and Vandeek in second was the Karl Burke-trained Swingalong, who stuck to her guns admirably under a positive ride from Clifford Lee and was only beaten by a neck.
Burke views the Sprint Cup at Haydock in September as the ideal target for a filly who has now finished in the first four in Group One races on six occasions.
“Two things may have made the difference – if it hadn’t have rained, which obviously suited the winner, and if Art Power hadn’t taken us on, but they are things out of our control,” said the Spigot Lodge handler.
“I couldn’t be happier without winning. She so deserves a Group One. I think we’ll go to Haydock next and just pray it isn’t heavy ground there.
“She won’t go to France (for the Prix Maurice de Gheest), she’s not entered for a start and she had a hard race today and at Ascot, so she deserves a break, especially as that’s six-and-a-half, she’s always vulnerable in that last furlong. Haydock will be brilliant.”
