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Burke chasing Weatherbys Super Sprint

Karl Burke is set to be represented by the unbeaten Moondyne Joe in the Weatherbys Super Sprint at Newbury on Saturday.

The son of Bushranger, one of 74 confirmations for the five-furlong contest, made a winning debut in a maiden at Carlisle over the same distance on June 24.

Burke reported: "The plan is to run Moondyne Joe at Newbury on Saturday.

"I have been very pleased with him since Carlisle. He has sharpened up for the run as many of ours do.

"He will probably be better over six furlongs but there are not too many options and we had him entered in this, so we thought we would take our chance.

"We were expecting him to run well at Carlisle. He got a fair bit behind but finished off well, although I don't think it was a great race.

"I think if he jumps a bit better than he did at Carlisle and gets into his stride, he will be doing all his best work at the end and should give a good account."

The Weatherbys Super Sprint is restricted to two-year-olds who were bought as yearlings at 'specified sales' for £47,500 or less before July 1, 2014, or for £50,500 or less after June 30, 2014. For each £3,000 paid under £50,500, horses are given a 1lb allowance.

Champion trainer Richard Hannon took the spoils last year with six-length winner Tiggy Wiggy, who ended the season as European Champion Two-Year-Old Filly after impressive wins in the Group Two Lowther Stakes and Group One Cheveley Park Stakes.

Hannon has seven possibles this time around, headed by Naas Listed scorer Great Page (8st 11lb) and eye-catching Windsor maiden winner Belvoir Bay (8st 3lb).

Tim Easterby has an excellent record in the race, with the most recent of three victories coming courtesy of Body And Soul in 2012. The Yorkshire handler has 10 left in including Excessable (8st 3lb), who won nicely on debut and was just touched off last time when conceding almost a stone to the winner.

Richard Fahey took the spoils with Peniaphobia in 2013 and has 18 entries remaining, notably Haydock Park scorer Mr Lupton (8st 6lb) and Beverley Continental Two-Year-Old Trophy runner-up Lathom (9st).

Listed Windsor Castle Stakes fourth Soapy Aitken (8st 9lb, Clive Cox) and Mark Johnston's Hawatif (8st 7lb) who was a six-length winner at Carlisle on June 24, are also in contention. A maximum of 25 runners can go to post.

Newbury's seven-race programme also features the £60,000 Group Three Al Basti Equiworld Hackwood Stakes (3.10pm, 12 entries) over six furlongs. Tiggy Wiggy may bid to bounce back from a disappointing effort in the Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot, while evergreen eight-year-old Maarek (Evanna McCutcheon IRE), Group Three Chipchase victor Aeolus (Ed Walker) and July Cup third Eastern Impact (Richard Fahey) are also engaged.

Al Kazeem was fourth in the Listed JLT Stakes (2.35pm) last year on his comeback from stud duties and this year's renewal could feature another potentially top-class colt in Consort (Sir Michael Stoute). The three-year-old was a clear-cut winner of the Listed Heron Stakes in May and subsequently finished third to Gleneagles in the St James's Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot.

Potential rivals include the highly-regarded pair of Intilaaq (Roger Varian) and Tashaar (Richard Hannon), plus Tercentenary Stakes third Mustadeem (Brian Meehan) and Tullius (Andrew Balding).


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