The highlight of the third day of the Ebor Festival at York next Friday is the G1 Coolmore Nunthorpe stakes, and the star attraction of the £350,000 feature is Charles Hills’ Battaash.
He has been one of the stars of the summer, winning the G2 Temple Stakes at Haydock before a gallant second to Blue Point in the five-furlong G1 King’s Stand Stakes at Royal Ascot.
However, it was on his most recent start at Glorious Goodwood that the son of Dark Angel really dazzled, stylishly winning a G2 by four lengths. That scintillating display earned him an official rating of 127, making him the highest-rated sprinter in Europe this year.
Hills has been pleased with Battaash’s condition since that success and is looking forward to locking horns with Blue Point again next week.
He said: “Battaash has come out of Goodwood very well. He is obviously race-fit so he doesn’t need to do much at home between now and then; he is well and I am very happy with him.
“He was impressive at Goodwood and did it really well. We were beaten by Blue Point at Royal Ascot – he is in there again – but a flat five furlongs [at York] will suit us more and we are really looking forward to running him.”
Battaash runs for owner Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum, whose colours were also carried to victory by the great sprinter Dayjur in 1990.