Highfield Princess Looking for More Major Sprint Glory
It has been a magnificent season so far for Highfield Princess as she has been successful in two Group One races over the sprint distances, which has helped elevate her as one of the leading sprinters in Europe.
John Quinn’s mare won the Prix Maurice de Gheest at Deauville back in August over the extended 6f trip in France. She then returned to the UK and prevailed in the Nunthorpe Stakes at York less than two weeks later.
The hat-trick-seeking sprinter is the 5/1 favourite in the horse racing odds for UK racing for the Qipco Champion Sprint Stakes on British Champions Day at Ascot. Success in the race could see her improve her rating further from her current mark of 120.
The mare, who has also had two other wins this season, looks set to be one of the leading horse racing betting tips for the Champion Sprint as she is at the top of her game. Quinn’s versatile runner is unlikely to have any issues stepping back up to 6f.
Remarkable Rise in the Official Ratings
When Highfield Princess made her debut in a handicap contest in August 2020 after three defeats, she began with an official mark of just 57. She could only finish third at Doncaster in that race, but she then followed it up with consecutive victories at Ayr (7f) and Chelmsford (7f) respectively.
In her second season on the track, Highfield Princess scored three times in her opening five appearances, including in the Buckingham Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot. Those successes meant she shot up to Group company. Her final appearance of the season came in the Champion Stakes where she finished sixth of 20 runners in the race won by Creative Force.
STUNNING! 🙌
🏇 Highfield Princess bolts up to take the Group 1 Coolmore Wootton Bassett Nunthorpe Stakes in emphatic style for Jason Hart and John Quinn 👏@johnquinnracing @jasonhart13 @coolmorestud @SkyBet #EborFestival pic.twitter.com/56F05uMWtl
— York Racecourse (@yorkracecourse) August 19, 2022
The daughter of Night Of Thunder continued to improve this season as she began the 2022 campaign with an official rating of 107. She is now 13lb better off in those standings following her first-place finish in the Nunthorpe.
Challengers at Ascot Include Alcohol Free and Creative Force
One of the biggest rivals to Highfield Princess at Ascot is set to be Alcohol Free. The filly won the July Cup at Newmarket earlier this season in what was an impressive performance by the four-year-old.
Andrew Balding’s runner is a former winner of the Coronation Stakes and Sussex Stakes. She now finds herself in the sprint division where she has shown she has the speed to match the fastest horses over the minimum distances.
Defending champion Creative Force is also set to take on Highfield Princess as he looks to become just the third horse in the race’s history to prevail twice. Set Fair came out on top in 1952 and 1954, while Jack and Jill was successful in back-to-back years in 1958 and 1959.
Creative Force wears down Glen Shiel to win the Group 1 QIPCO British Champions Sprint Stakes at @Ascot for Charlie Appleby and @godolphin!
William Buick on the board as he chases down Oisin Murphy! The gap is two… pic.twitter.com/w8B3tk1WKU
— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) October 16, 2021
Charlie Appleby’s runner has yet to prevail this year, but he did finish a close second in the Platinum Jubilee Stakes behind stablemate Naval Crown. His last appearance was in the July Cup where he was fourth behind Alcohol Free.
The 6f contest is set to take place on Saturday, 15th October at 2 pm.
