Visit Malta Hungerford Stakes (G2)
Newbury - 15th August 2026
“He’s a very good horse and he received a very good ride from Hector Crouch, but I can raise just enough doubts from the data and the form to make me say that I would like to see him do this again before I think that he can reach the highest level over 7 furlongs and possibly beyond”.
When you have the opportunity to write a race review like this, there is always the possibility that the data would allow you to add some “after timing”. I can’t do that here because I didn’t have the opportunity to look at Saturday’s Hungerford Stakes in any great detail, but here are the list of reasons that I found when doing the background research for this piece that might have led to the conclusion that Coppull was going to win….Firstly, with an official rating of 114 from the BHA, he was the joint-highest rated of the 9 runners. Add in his 6 lbs weight for age allowance and he came out with a minimum of 6lbs in hand on all of his rivals and more than 10 lbs in hand on all bar 3 of his rivals. Next was his recent form, which had come in Group 1 company, with a 4th placed finish in the July Cup behind Comanche Brave the best recent run of any of the 9 runners in the Hungerford Stakes. He had the best late speed figure in the field in the July Cup (38.25 mph measured over the final 2 furlongs) and both his average stride length and stride frequency figures at Newmarket were above the expected average figures for a winner in this grade over 7 furlongs at Newbury. When written down like that, it does lead to the conclusion that a starting price of 15/2 was a bit of a gift. Apart from the obvious lesson that I need to try and find more time to look at the data for Saturday’s races, the list above would also suggest that there was no fluke about this performance and Clive Cox’s charge was a more than worthy winner on Saturday, regardless of the way that the race may have panned under an enterprising ride from Hector Crouch.
A winning time of 1:23.31 ranked 4th of the last 10 years and was under the TPD Expected time for the grade, albeit 1.64s slower than More Thunder had been when winning this race 12-months ago. A sedate opening furlong of 15.22s from the early leader (Witness Stand) was quickly followed by an injection of pace as the times increased with race best splits of 11.69, 11.11 and 10.69s over the next 3 furlongs. At the halfway stage, the field split, with Hector Crouch choosing to send Coppull towards the far side of the group as he moved level with the leader. Despite drifting slowly but surely towards the far side rail, Coppull was always in command and had his nose in front from the moment that they passed the 3 furlong pole. A finishing speed of 102.3% from the winner was clearly aided by the fast ground, but with consecutive sub 11s furlongs, Coppull got himself to the front and held on in the closing stages. The 3 horses that chased him home all recorded longer average stride lengths than the 24.82 ft recorded by Coppull and when we examine their peak averages, Coppull was 1.29 ft shorter than Prince of India and 0.95 ft shorter than Symbol of Honour. However, this race required an emphasis on mid-race speed and it was Coppull who was able to “keep the revs up” with an average of 2.4 strides per second in the crucial 5th furlong of the contest.
It would have been very easy for Hector Crouch to give his mount a more patient ride. On his first attempt at the 7 furlong trip, Crouch could have been forgiven if he had tried to get Coppull some cover in the early stages to give his mount time to settle to make sure he saw out the distance. Instead, Crouch gave him a more aggressive ride and assumed he would stay this far. From an ideal starting position behind the early leader, he committed at the right time and used his mounts turn-of-foot to gain a key advantage over his longer striding rivals. This would be lesson 1A in the “How to ride the Newbury straight course” handbook, especially on fast ground and everything from the data that Coppull recorded would suggest that he was the best horse on the day. The problem I have with this race is what to make of the horses that Coppull has beaten.
Prince of India had an enormous stride which peaked above 27 ft and although he ran well to finish 2nd, he was caught short of pace in the middle of the race with a 5th furlong split that ranked only 7th. He is now 0 from 7 since stepping into pattern company, though he did finish a similar distance behind Coppull in the July Cup. Symbol of Honour won here last month, but he is now 0 from 5 when going beyond 6 furlongs and I was going to say that I have run out of excuses for Never So Brave. He is a Group 1 winner, but if connections felt he was right he would surely be going back for another try at the City of York Stakes that he won last season and his final furlong splits on his last 4 starts have ranked 6th, 3rd, 7th and now 6th. However, the post-race report from the Vet does state that an examination found that Never So Brave was struck into on his left-fore. Either way, he didn’t run his race. Coppull beat the right horses, but at the weights he was entitled to and in a race where the form does not quite stack up in behind him, he wasn’t able to run the fastest furlong in the field at any point. He’s a very good horse and he received a very good ride from Hector Crouch, but I can raise just enough doubts from the data and the form to make me say that I would like to see him do this again before I think that he can reach the highest level over 7 furlongs and possibly beyond.