Scurry Stakes: Tom Collins believes the value lies with an outsider in Sandown's sprint

Tom Collins

10 June 2022

Although the Scurry Stakes generally fails to attract a huge field - this race has drawn an average of just over eight runners per year over the last decade - this season's turnout remains pretty disappointing. The likes of Easton Angel (2016), Battaash (2017) and Lazuli (2020) are on the roll of honour for this sprint, but there’s nothing of their quality in Saturday’s edition.

The market is headed by Caturra, a 110-rated son of Mehmas who has won three of his ten career starts. If there is one potential sprinting superstar in this race it is undoubtedly him - he is already a Group 2 winner, don’t forget. However, he has yet to prove that he’s improved from two to three.

Clive Cox is a phenomenal trainer, especially with younger horses, and he eked out the best from Caturra last year. However, that process led to Caturra making eight starts, and relatively exposed juveniles rarely make up into leading three-year-olds or older horses - unless they are Aidan O’Brien-trained fillies, of course.

I’m wary that both of his performances on the track this year haven’t been up to the lofty standard that he showed last autumn. He should relish the return to five furlongs and, on that basis, he is a huge player and deserves favouritism, but I don’t want to back him at 2.24. That’s too short.

There are also a handful of concerns regarding the second in the market, Mitbaahy. Roger Varian’s three-year-old colt has been sent north in order to tackle inferior opposition for both of his victories and appears to prefer rain-softened ground.

He will have to cope with a faster surface in this race and, despite being placed at Listed level, he hasn’t yet performed to a mark of 100, which isn’t good enough to win this event. There is every chance that he improves, but his distinguished connections ensure that he won’t go missed in the betting.

Course-and-distance winner Live In The Dream was close to being my selection, especially as Frankie Dettori has been booked on this previous course-and-distance winner. He ran well in a much better and more competitive race at Epsom last time out and will look to make every yard. This gelding looks pretty progressive and his gatespeed is unmatched in this field.

However, I thought the real value in this rather trappy affair was Caturra’s stablemate, Get Ahead. This filly gets all the allowances and might be overlooked due to her relatively low rating of 93, but she has only been seen five times and has taken a considerable step forward on each and every run.

She beat a couple of smart performers on her debut at Ascot last year before finishing sixth in a highly-competitive renewal of the Queen Mary at the Royal meeting. All three runs this term have resulted in a third-place finish, but she’s had excuses the last twice and just needs to race more professionally throughout the first portion of the race.

Her third behind Last Crusader in the Listed Westow Stakes was a clear career-best and she might be worth sticking with under Liam Keniry this weekend.