Sprint Cup analysis: expect recent form to leave a clear imprint on the result

Saturday: 3.30 Haydock
Betfair Sprint Cup (Group 1) | 6f | 3yo+ | ITV/RTV

Whatever the shortcomings of the current British Flat Pattern, that it places the first Group 1 of the autumn at Haydock makes it hard to deny that it contains a sense of humour. The famously changeable ground at the track, combined with the even more famously changeable seasonal weather, means the Betfair Sprint Cup is one of few British Group 1s to have been run on both firm and heavy ground over the last ten years.

That is important even if you are not the sort of punter who gets distracted by the minutiae of ground talk. As has been seen in this dry summer so far, form has a habit of holding up for as long as the weather does. In wetter years, form from the height of summer can be a distant memory by early September. When conditions remain summery, punters generally need to switch their focus from autumn form to much more recent formlines.