Does Lazzat Truly Deserve To Be Champions Sprint Favourite?

The final meeting of the flat season will take place tomorrow at Ascot, and some of the season's best horses will line up in some of the last group one races of the season, including Wathnan’s Jubilee Stakes winner Lazzat. The four year old tops the market headed into the Champions SPrint, but does he really deserve it?

In a big field of 20, Lazzat and James Doyle will take on a couple more rivals compared to his Jubilee win back in June at the Royal meeting, and he has some improved competition too. The likes of Flora Of Bermuda, Iberian, and Inisherin will meet again with Lazzat tomorrow, and all are currently outside chances paying all at around 10/1, Iberian being 50/1. When you put these competitors back into a race against favourite Lazzat, it seems a likely win for the Wathnan star, but more keen competitors may argue he isn’t 100% worthy.

As close second favourite, Haydock Sprint Cup winner Big Mojo lines up in his bid to win the big one at Ascot, and has the form over Lazzat heading into the race. The big group one at Haydock last month saw Big Mojo beat Flora Of Bemuda, Lazzat, and Inisherin, and was very impressive in his big group one bid, and who’s to say he can’t do it again.

Ever since Lazzat’s very impressive showcase at the Royal Ascot meeting, he has traded as the favourite for each race he has participated in. At the Prix Maurice at Deauville he finished second to Sajir as the 8/15 favourite, and finished fifth of 17 at Haydock as the even money favourite, so how credible is his Royal Ascot win?

His performance against Japanese horse Satono Reve was very impressive, and he does have the course experience and knowledge to win the big one tomorrow, but it isn't 100% convincing as a short priced favourite. There is much more value with the likes of Flora Of Bemuda, and Rayevka, two horses whose form is very good and should have been better, and as outsiders, they definitely have credible reason to challenge the favourite.

Lazzat has definitely impressed, and has been a star for Wathnan, however the question whether he is worthy favourite still isn't convincing, and with the competition ahead, his claims aren’t and shouldn’t be so strong, and as far as money makers go, there are many more with much more appealing claims.