By Heather Anderson
Ed Bethell earned his first Group 1 victory as a trainer when Regional (GB) (Territories {Ire}–Favulusa {GB}, by Dansili {GB}) emerged the victor in the Betfair Sprint Cup S. at Haydock by a neck over Shouldvebeenaring (GB) (Havana Grey {GB}) with Believing (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}) a half-length back in third. The favoured dual Group 1 winner Shaquille (GB) (Charm Spirit {Ire}) fluffed his lines and finished well back in the field after making the early running on Saturday.
Bred by Razza del Sole Societa Agricola, the Future Champions Racing Regional runner was a 10-1 proposition against the aforementioned 11-10 pick, and it was the latter who broke sharply and took up the running with several others, including the winner in the mix up front. Shaquille lost position two furlongs from home and drifted back through the pack with Mill Stream (Ire) (Gleneagles {Ire}) and Regional picking up the baton. Shouldvebeenaring was showing improvement and wound up for his run 200 metres from the winning post, about the same time Regional kicked away from Mill Stream. The Havana Grey colt pushed Regional all the way to the wire, with Believing picked up the pieces for third, three-quarters of a length in front of Swingalong (Ire) (Showcasing {GB}).
Bethell said, “I never thought it would happen [becoming a Group 1-winning trainer]. I'm just incredibly lucky and I'm incredibly fortunate to have a lovely team of people around me.
“I thought I've done my job now and I thought that the owners might stick with me for a bit longer and then he has gone and done this.Tom Biggs brought him, then there is Barbara Jones who rides him every day and Keith McGlone my assistant. There are too many people to thank.
“Regional is a straightforward horse and Callum Rodriguez has done a tremendous job getting him out of the stalls because he had been inclined to miss the break. It is a massive performance. Today we were much more comfortable at this trip at this level. It has been a culmination of a fantastic year through their hard work and I'm just the lucky one to have my name on the ticket.
“They [owners Future Champions Racing Regional] are a fun syndicate that need a break and they have got it now. I hope it can be a stepping-stone for them to get bigger and better. They might want to go to America, but I will see how the horse is and then make a decision.”
It was also a first top-tier rosette for jockey Callum Rodriguez, who grew up about 40 minutes away from the track in Heysham. “What a story it has been with him this year,” said Rodriguez, who was banned for six months in 2019 after testing positive for cocaine and has had to make his way back the hard way. “It was very smooth for me today. Every time I asked him he was responding.”
He added, “I really hit the ground running as an apprentice and landed the Ebor and some other nice races along the way. It has been a little bit stop start and you kind of ask yourself if you are going to find the one. I've a lot to thank Ed for. I stepped into the yard in January to ride out and get to know the horses. There is a real strong team of horses there and he is a real loyal man, and we work really well together and I'm happy with the way things are going.”
Of the beaten favourite, James Doyle said, “Everything was fine. He had a bit of a wobble before the gates opened but that didn't affect his start as he jumped very clean. He travelled super but between the two and the three I had no power and I was beat very quick. There is Champions Day to come and there are other races.”
Originally a 35,000gns Tattersalls December foal when picked up by Emerald Bloodstock, the Sprint Cup S. winner returned to Park Paddocks and caught the eye of John and Jake Warren when a 120,000gns Tattersalls October Book 2 yearling in 2019. After winning once from three starts for trainer Richard Fahey and Isa Salman Al Khalifa, he sold for just 3,500gns out of the 2021 Tattersalls July Sale to Bethell Racing and Blandford Bloodstock. More recently, the bay had taken a York handicap in May, before lowering the colours of Group 2 winner Equilateral (GB) (Equiano {Fr}) in the Listed Achilles S. over five furlongs here in June. The 5-year-old gelding was less than three lengths behind Live In The Dream (Ire) (Prince Of Lir {Ire}) when fifth in York's G1 Nunthorpe S. last month.
Pedigree Notes
The second Group 1 winner for his Darley sire after €3 million Arqana Vente d'Elevage sale-topper Rougir (Fr) who won both the Prix de l'Opera in France and the EP Taylor S. in Canada, Regional is one of 11 stakes winners worldwide for Territories. Broodmare sire Dansili's daughters have 127 stakes winners (77 group) between them. Of his 19 Group 1 winners, Dream Of Dreams (Ire) (Dream Ahead) also won the Sprint Cup S. in 2020.
Out of Italian listed winner Favulusa, the gelding is one of two winners for his dam, who has the unraced juvenile filly Forestiera (GB) (Golden Horn {GB}), and fillies by Too Darn Hot (GB) and Palace Pier (GB) each of the last two years. His second dam, Rosa Del Dubai (Ire) (Dubai Destination {Ire}), won the G3 Premio Mario Incisa della Rocchetta before throwing three other Italian stakes winners, among them the G2 Premio Oaks d'Italia heroine Folega (GB), a full-sister to Favulusa. Third dam Rosa Di Brema (Ity) (Lomitas {GB}) was runner-up in the Italian Oaks when it still held Group 1 status, and she too produced a quartet of stakes winners, with one, Biancarosa (Ire) (Dalakhani {Ire}), the dam of 2021 G2 Derby Italiano victor Tokyo Gold (Fr) (Kendargent {Fr}).
Saturday, Haydock, Britain
BETFAIR SPRINT CUP S.-G1, £426,920, Haydock, 9-9, 3yo/up, 6fT, 1:10.60, gd.
1–REGIONAL (GB), 131, g, 5, by Territories (Ire)
1st Dam: Favulusa (GB) (SW-Ity), by Dansili (GB)
2nd Dam: Rosa Del Dubai (Ire), by Dubai Destination
3rd Dam: Rosa Di Brema (Ity), by Lomitas (GB)
1ST GROUP WIN; 1ST GROUP 1 WIN. (35,000gns Wlg '18
TATFOA; 120,000gns Ylg '19 TATOCT; 3,500gns 3yo '21
TATTJU). O-Future Champions Racing Regional; B-Razza Del
Sole Societa Agricola SRL (GB); T-Ed Bethell; J-Callum
Rodriguez. £242,106. Lifetime Record: 17-5-3-2, $518,949.
Werk Nick Rating: A. Click for the
eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree, or the
free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Shouldvebeenaring (GB), 129, c, 3, Havana Grey (GB)–Lady
Estella (Ire), by Equiano (Fr). 1ST GROUP 1 BLACK TYPE.
(£40,000 Ylg '21 GOFFUK). O-Middleham Park Racing XVIII;
B-Whitsbury Manor Stud (GB); T-Richard Hannon. £91,788.
3–Believing (Ire), 126, f, 3, Mehmas (Ire)–Misfortunate (Ire), by
Kodiac (GB). 1ST GROUP 1 BLACK TYPE. (70,000gns Ylg '21
TATOCT; 115,000gns 2yo '22 TATBRE). O-Highclere
Thoroughbred Racing (Jane Addams); B-M Mullen &
Cloneymore Farm (IRE); T-George Boughey. £45,937.
Margins: NK, HF, 3/4. Odds: 10.00, 50.00, 66.00.
Also Ran: Swingalong (Ire), Khaadem (Ire), Mill Stream (Ire), Annaf (Ire), Garrus (Ire), Saint Lawrence (Ire), Rohaan (Ire), Run To Freedom (GB), Lezoo (GB), Rumstar (GB), The Antarctic (Ire), Sacred (GB), Shaquille (GB). Scratched: Spycatcher (Ire). VIDEO.
Regional (10/1) strikes in the @BetfairRacing Sprint Cup!
Shaquille doesn't run to form but the really progressive winner relishes stepping up to six furlongs and lands a breakthrough Group 1 success for @ebethellracing and @CallumRodrigue4 👏 @haydockraces pic.twitter.com/EXJfZ9MFOw
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) September 9, 2023
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