Limato put in the performance of his career by dismantling the field to claim victory in the July Cup at Newmarket. The four-year-old had struggled on the big stages before, but overcame his demons to clinch his first victory in 2016. Limato and trainer Henry Candy now have their sights firmly set on the Haydock Sprint Cup after opting out of the event last year. The Irish horse is backed at 2/1 in the latest betting odds to build off his victory in the July Cup and taste further success in September.
Rise Of Limato
Limato was the progeny of two mildly successful horses, Come April and Tagula, although neither have reached the heights of their offspring. However, the Irish horse has the bloodline of Singspiel through his dam, who notched several major wins in the late 1990s. As a result, few were surprised to see Limato enjoy success in his first outing at Kempton Stakes, securing a victory with ease as he ran clear in the final furlong. He backed up his triumph at Kempton with another win on the course soon followed with a strong performance at Newbury, finishing first in a tough field.
Due to his fine displays, Candy's horse made his bow in his first British Horse Authority event in Redcar and continued his winning run, overwhelming the chasing pack with his pace. Limato was favoured in his first outing at Ascot and he didn't disappoint on his opening race as he steadily made his way to the front of the field before powering down the final furlong to secure the victory.
However, his winning run was to come to an abrupt end at the Sandy Lane Stakes in Haydock as Adaay produced a fine performance to end Limato's early dominance of his class. The failure to secure victory was jockey Graham Lee's final ride on the Irish horse as Candy handed the reins back over to James Doyle, who was responsible for much of his early success.
Mixed Fortunes
The Commonwealth Cup offered Limato his first chance to make a real statement in the sport as he was one of the frontrunners for the Crown. His rival Adaay was also in the pack along with the impressive American horse Hootenanny, fresh off his victory at the Breeders' Cup. Limato overcame both of the challengers, who finished well out of contention, but failed to rally enough from a slow start to reel in Muhaarar, finishing behind the winner in second. The race was disappointing for Candy and Doyle, and it proved to be the jockey's final ride on the three-year-old.
After a three-month break, Limato returned to action in Doncaster and ended his two-race run without a win, cruising to victory down the final furlong under the guidance of Andrea Atzeni. The three-year-old was ready for the biggest race of his career at Longchamp in the Qatar Prix De La Forêt, and was touted to come away with the title due his consistency on the turf.
Ryan Moore took the reins for the meet, but despite having a favourable stall, the Irish horse failed to deliver the major victory Candy would have craved as he finished second behind Make Believe. Limato also missed out on the lucrative sum of money that came the way of the victor, although he had still not finished outside of the top three in his nine-race career.
All Eyes On Haydock
Following a lengthy absence over the winter, Limato returned to the racecard this year in May at Newbury, with another new jockey at the reins in Harry Bentley. The four-year-old faced strong competition from Toormore and Kodi Bear, with all three expected to challenge for the Saint Gobain Weber Park Stakes crown.
However, Limato endured the worst performance of his career as he failed to place inside the top three. He paid the price for trailing at the start of the race and leaving himself far too much work to get inside the final furlong to track down the leaders. As a result of his failures on the big stage, Limato arrived for the July Cup at Newmarket under immense pressure to finally deliver a major win to cap his strong potential.
The Irish horse produced the performance of his career with an outstanding run by taking the race by the scruff of the neck before powering over the finish line well ahead of the chasing pack. With the pressure off the four-year-old, Bentley and his horse will now aim to secure another major win at the Haydock Sprint Cup, although the competition will be desperate to avoid a repeat of the July Cup. Commonwealth Cup winner Quiet Reflection could offer resistance to the Irish horse's attempts to win the title, along with Magical Memory jockeyed by Frankie Dettori. However, as proven in the July Cup, when Limato is on song, he is a formidable opponent to stop.
