The Beverley Bullet is not the most valuable or the most prestigious race being run in the UK this Bank Holiday weekend. But few meetings will be better attended or enjoyed with the same enthusiasm.
Beverley is the only racecourse in East Yorkshire and has a huge catchment area. The city of Hull almost encroaches on to The Westwood, the moor and parkland on which Beverley racecourse sits, and ‘The Bullet’ is one of the track’s big races of the year.
Beverley Bullet Sprint Stakes History and Trends
By some standards, the Beverley Bullet is a comparatively new race. First staged in 2004, it’s been won by some very speedy individuals including old warrior Borderlescott, Tangerine Trees – who went on to land the Prix de l’Abbaye – and Pearl Secret two years ago.
Remarkably, 11 of the last 12 winners were unplaced on their previous start. So maybe we should be putting a cautious line through old-timer Kingsgate Native, fourth in 2014 but a previous winner at Beverley, Son Of Africa and Alpha Delphini. The latter beat Final Venture by a short-head at Ascot recently but is 5lb worse off, though trainer Bryan Smart has trained the winner of ‘The Bullet’ twice in its short history.
Three-year-olds hold their own in this Listed race but none from that age bracket have been successful since 2010. One trend that is consistent, however, concerns the draw. A low draw can be a huge advantage on the sprint course at Beverley as there is a right-hand bend into the straight and the ground slopes away towards the stands which can make it extremely difficult for those drawn high to get involved. No winner has had a double-figure draw in the last 10 years, which would appear to exclude Final Venture and Caspian Prince. Indeed, seven of the last 10 winners started in stalls 1-4 with five of the last eight coming from stall 1 or stall 2.
Muthmir is this year’s favourite and undoubtedly the form pick. But I’m a little concerned by his draw (stall seven) and the fact that Skybet have felt comfortable about offering William Haggas’ classy sprinter at 3/1.
He hasn’t been at his best this year and was withdrawn from last week’s Nunthorpe at York because of rain-softened ground – plenty of wet stuff fell on The Westwood on Thursday, though there is a better forecast for the weekend.
Every drop of rain that fell improved the chances of MAAREK and I can’t see last year’s hero starting anywhere near the current 7/1 (general). Evanna McCutcheon’s nine-year-old is a confirmed mudlark and hasn’t been successful since winning last year’s race. However, he has the prize draw and the going was only good when he beat Line Of Reason (only a general 6/1) 12 months ago.
Like Maaraek, Mr Lupton probably also prefers 6f to the minimum trip but Beverley is a stiff track which tends not to suit out-and-out speedsters. Caspian Prince will blaze a trail and that could set things up for a finisher with Richard Fahey’s three-year-old well worth considering on his defeat of subsequent Steward’s Cup winner Dancing Star at York in June, though he will have to circle the field from stall eight.
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totescoop6 Beverley Bullet Sprint Stakes Current Best Odds
Muthmir (3/1), Line Of Reason (6/1), Maarek and Mr Lupton (7/1), Kingsgate Native (8/1), Willytheconqueror (9/1), Final Venture (12/1), Caspian Prince (14/1), Son Of Africa and Alpha Delphini (16/1)
