Quinault heads to Shergar Cup bidding to match 21st century record for consecutive handicap wins

Any review of the 2023 British Flat season must include mention of Quinault, who has won six handicaps in a row and is not done yet as he contests the Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup Sprint (4.30) on Saturday.

A Godolphin cast-off, he was rated 59 when his winning run began at Chelmsford in April, but now runs off 97 after bagging £100,000 heritage handicaps at York and Newmarket.

Owned by Tje Racing, Quinault, the mount of Luke Morris, is trained by Stuart Williams, who thinks he is worth an entry in October's Group 1 Qipco British Champions Sprint Stakes at Ascot.

"I'm very excited and thought the Shergar Cup was the best race to run him after his last win as he's still taking on three-year-olds, rather than older horses," the Newmarket trainer said. "He's been training great and I'm very happy with him. He's fairly straightforward to ride and I don't think the jockey is going to make a huge difference, whether it's an apprentice like we've been using or a senior rider. He just jumps and goes. 

"I kind of expected a 7lb rise from his last win and Mill Stream, whom we beat, went up 6lb and then went and won a Listed race in fine style at Deauville last week. I'd ideally want good ground, rather than extremes, so I imagine conditions will be fine."

Many horses have won more than six Flat handicaps in a season, but it is rare to achieve those victories in succession, although Masafi, trained by Sir Mark Prescott, emulated Quinault with a 16-day six-race winning streak in 2004 and, for good measure, won a classified stakes 24 hours later.

Madame Jones equalled the all-time record for most handicap wins in a British Flat season when landing 11 in 2001, but won no more than three in a row.

Should Quinault oblige, he would set a 21st century record, but would need another to match Reg Akehurst inmate Ballynakelly, who won eight handicaps in a row from November 1995 to September 1996, culminating in a dead-heat for Newbury's Autumn Cup.

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