History of The Weatherbys Super Sprint of The

It is over 30 years since the first running of The Weatherbys Super Sprint, and its innovative race conditions see it open to horses that were sold at public auction as yearlings or two-year-olds for £65,000 or less. The weights are allocated so that each horse running carries 1lb less for every £5,000 less than £65,000. Those competing will be bidding for a share of the total prize fund of £250,000.

The race was specifically framed to give good value horses the chance of a big pay day and took place for the first time in 1991 under the name “Newbury Sales Super Sprint Trophy”. It was in 1993 that Weatherbys sponsored the race for the first time and gave it the title “Weatherbys Super Sprint”.

The race has taken place every year since 1991, apart from 2007 due to heavy rainfall. The most successful trainer is Richard Hannon Sr who won the race seven times courtesy of Lyric Fantasy, Risky, Miss Stamper, Presto Vento, If Paradise, Lady Livius and Monsieur Chevalier. His son Richard Hannon Jr. has won the race four times and Tim Easterby and Richard Fahey have each had three winners of the race. From a riding angle, four jockeys have won the race twice, Richard Hughes (Monsieur Chevalier and Tiggy Wiggy), Michael Hills (Brief Glimpse and Superstar Leo), Michael Roberts (Lyric Fantasy and Good Girl) and Sean Levey (Happy Romance and Gubbass).

Many horses to have run in The Weatherbys Super Sprint have gone on to achieve great things, most recently 2020 winner Happy Romance who is now a seven-time winner, including twice at Group level and Grade 1 placed – earning nearly £750,000 in price money. Not bad for a £25,000 yearling purchase!

Arguably the most successful winners in the race’s history are Tiggy Wiggy and Lyric Fantasy.

Tiggy Wiggy built on her success with a win in the Group 2 Lowther Stakes before completing the hat-trick in the Group 1 Cheveley Park Stakes. The flying filly also finished in the Classic frame when coming home in third in the 1000 Guineas. Lyric Fantasy, aka ‘The Pocket Rocket’, became the Champion 2yo in the same year as landing the super Sprint and indeed the highest rated filly of 1992. Her most notable success however, was in the Nunthorpe Stakes in which she became one of only three juveniles to win a Group One race in open-age competition

Temple Meads landed the first prize of £100,000 in 2010, before winning the Group 2 Dubai Duty Free Mill Reef Stakes later in the season back here at Newbury.

The 2009 winner Monsieur Chevalier went on to achieve glory in the Group 3 Molecomb Stakes at Glorious Goodwood, emulating Risky who had completed the same double seventeen years earlier. Unfortunately, injury prevented his return to the track as a three-year-old but he returned back to his best form as a four-year-old when finishing second in the Group 1 Golden Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot and winning a Listed race at Goodwood.

In 2005, we saw a shock when the Martin Dwyer-ridden Lady Livius stormed home to win at odds of 100/1, the longest priced winner to date. Apart from Peniaphobia and Tiggy Wiggy, who did it in successive years, the only time that a horse has dipped under the minute mark in this five furlongs sprint was in 2000 when Superstar Leo stormed home in 59.19 seconds before going on to finish second in two Group 1s, the Prix de l’Abbaye and the Phoenix Stakes. Fillies have a good strike rate, possibly down to the 5lb allowance that they receive from the colts. 17 of the 31 renewals of this race have been won by fillies. Happy Romance was victorious in 2020 for the successful team of Richard Hannon and Sean Levey, who teamed up again to win with Gubbass in 2021. The talented colt was given a fine ride by his jockey and showed fine subsequent juvenile form, finishing third in the Group 2 Richmond Stakes.

Last year’s winner Eddie’s Boy progressed to win a Group 3 race in France later in the season before being sold for 320,000 Guineas to race on in Qatar.