Kevin Ryan expecting Inisherin to shine in Betfair Sprint Cup

The three-year-old looked destined for champion sprinter honours when winning the Sandy Lane over Saturday's course-and-distance and the Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot but could finish only fifth when sent off favourite for the My Pension Expert July Cup at Newmarket next time.

The trainer felt the writing was on the wall at an early stage that day. Speaking on a Zoom call organised by The Jockey Club, Ryan said: "That was a funny one really. Me, knowing the horse as well as I do, I was a little bit concerned after a furlong - I felt he just wasn’t striding out as well as he can do coming down the hill. The ground had dried out that day and was just a bit loose on top which some horses just can’t get a handle on. Once he hit the rising ground, he did start to stay on but in those top-class sprints you just can’t afford to lose ground.

“Before Newmarket, he had also been quite busy. He had gone from a maiden, then the Guineas and Royal Ascot which were championship races. He was in the Prix Maurice de Gheest, but I spoke with Sheikh Mohammed Obaid and we decided to miss it and freshen him up for the two big sprints at the end of the year - Haydock and Ascot.

“We just backed off him a bit and have facilities here like the water treadmill which he loves going on. It’s just good to give him a change of scenery and keeping him at a certain level of fitness. You work backwards from the race and keep an eye on his weight. Obviously he is now approaching four and is getting stronger and gaining more muscle as the year goes on.”

And in terms of preparation, the North Yorkshire handler couldn't be happier.

"We’ve had an uninterrupted run and all his work has gone to plan when we wanted it to. He is very fresh and well. Knowing the horse, we haven’t had a concern with him in any of his work and I’m confident we are in the right place."

And Ryan won't be losing any sleep over tactics in a potentially maximum field or the ground which is expected to be just on the soft side of good by the weekend.

“He is not a complicated ride so I tell Tom (Eaves) just to concentrate on him and not worry about who is beside you. There is a fair chance he’ll put some of the pace to the race anyway. The good thing about him is that he can go on or take a lead," the trainer said.

"When he ran at Haydock in the Sandy Lane I was worried it might be a bit soft for him but he handled it really, really well and then obviously went and won on opposite ground at Royal Ascot. He handled it just the same and might be quite a unique sprinter in that he can handle fast ground and softer conditions too. I have no concerns about the ground at Haydock. It’s a lovely track and this time of year it should be in top shape."

More from Sporting Life

• Racecards
• Fast results
• Full results and free video replays
• Horse racing news
• Horse racing tips
• Horse racing features
• Download our free iOS and Android app
• Football and other sports tips
• Podcasts and video content

Safer gambling

We are committed in our support of safer gambling. Recommended bets are advised to over-18s and we strongly encourage readers to wager only what they can afford to lose.

If you are concerned about your gambling, please call the National Gambling Helpline / GamCare on 0808 8020 133.

Further support and information can be found at begambleaware.org and gamblingtherapy.org.