Newmarket Handicap: Who Is The World’s Best Sprinter?

The title of the world’s best sprinter will be on the line in the Newmarket Handicap at Flemington on Saturday after the inconclusive result of the Black Caviar Lightning Stakes.

Chautauqua looked to have a stranglehold on the world’s best sprinter mantle following his dominant win in the Manikato Stakes, but he was unable to back that up with a win in the Darley Classic and Team Hawkes elected not to send the son of Encosta De Lago to Hong Kong for the Hong Kong Sprint.

He showed the outstanding turn-of-foot that he possesses to get his nose in front in the shadows of the post in the Black Caviar Lightning Stakes, but there were genuine excuses for a number of other horses in the race.

That has not stopped punters rallying behind Chautauqua and he is now into odds of $3.20 in the 2016 Newmarket Handicap betting market with Ladbrokes.

Trainer Joe Pride has been of the opinion that Terravista is the world’s best sprinter for over 18 months and he would have though this opinion was justified when his star galloper hit the front at the 200 metre mark in the Black Caviar Lightning Stakes.

Terravista looked an absolute certainty at the 100 metre mark, but jockey Damien Oliver fumbled his whip and clearly cost the 2014 Darley Classic winner at least half a length – far more than Chautauqua’s margin of victory.

Only a one in a thousand error from the leading hoop cost Terravista another victory over Chautauqua and as Pride said on Twitter ‘even the world’s best sprinter needs a jockey that can hold on to his whip’.

Japonisme was not far away from the leading duo in the Black Caviar Lightning Stakes and he gets into the race extremely well at the weights with just 52.5 kilograms on his back.

Stablemate Brazen Beau produced a very similar Black Caviar Lightning Stakes performance last year before he upstaged Chautauqua and Terravista in the Newmarket Handicap and a number of punters are confident that Japonisme can repeat the dose for the Waller stable on Saturday.

Waller has an extremely strong hand in the Newmarket Handicap – just like he does in the majority of Group 1 races anywhere in the country – and Japonisme will be joined in the race by Delectation and Counterattack.

Delectation beat Chautauqua and Terravista in the Darley Classic in the spring and it was very clear that he was never there to win the Black Caviar Lightning Stakes and it was simply a barrier trial for this weekend.

If there is a horse that could spoil the party for all the big names it is Counterattack, who will carry just 50 kilograms in the Newmarket Handicap.

Waller loves his ‘project horses’ and Counterattack fits that bill to the tee, with Waller electing not to apply blinkers to three-year-old for his first-up assignment to leave them up his sleeves for the Newmarket Handicap.

There are currently 11 horses rated at less than $20 in the current Newmarket Handicap betting with Ladbrokes and you can use the brand new Ladbrokes Odds Boost to increase the price of any runner in the race.

The Newmarket Handicap is set to be one of the best races of the autumn, but whether it will answer the question of who is the world’s best sprinter remains to be seen.