Very Talented & Mountain Hunter bid for Cambridgeshire glory

Lightly-raced five-year-old Very Talented and Dubai World Cup Carnival winner Mountain Hunter go for success in the historic Cambridgeshire Handicap at Newmarket, UK, on Saturday, 29 September. 

Both horses are trained by Saeed bin Suroor, with Very Talented (Rossa Ryan) lining up in the nine-furlong heritage race for a second time after coming home an excellent third in the 2016 renewal. 

On his only subsequent appearance, Very Talented overcame a 726-day absence to be the comfortable winner of a mile Polytrack handicap at Chelmsford City on 20 September. 

Mountain Hunter (Hector Crouch) started the year with four handicap starts on turf at Meydan, UAE. The son of Lonhro enjoyed a decisive three-length success over 10 furlongs in January and finished a good second behind Blair House in a nine-furlong contest in February. 

The four-year-old also makes his second European outing of 2018, having been hampered in the closing stages when finishing fifth in a 10-furlong handicap at Doncaster on 13 September.

A full field of 35 for the Cambridgeshire also features Pivoine and Alfarris, who were first and second in a York handicap in August, plus recent G2 Boomerang Stakes runner-up Kenya. 

Saeed bin Suroor commented: “Very Talented won nicely at Chelmsford City after being off the course for a long time and came out of the race well. 

“He was third in this race in this race two years ago and has matured into a big, strong horse. 

“I am looking for another good run over a course and distance that suits him well.

“Nine furlongs also looks a good trip for Mountain Hunter, who showed a high level of form out in Dubai at the start of the year. 

“He was unlucky at Doncaster and I’m hoping for a better result this time.”

Very Talented, allocated 9st 5lbs, is drawn 24, while Mountain Hunter, who carries 9st 8lbs, emerges from stall eight.