Second favourite surges clear for dominant victoryBattaash covers the five furlongs in under 56 secondsWhen Dayjur flew down the straight five furlongs on the Knavesmire in the Nunthorpe Stakes and stopped the clock in 56.16 seconds, he set a mark that few who saw it believed would ever be beaten. Twenty-nine years later to the day, and in the same blue-and-white colours of Sheikh Hamdan al-Maktoum, Battaash proved them wrong here, as he won the same race by three-and-a-quarter lengths and became the first horse to cover the five furlongs here in less than 56 seconds.
It was an astonishing performance, not least because of the sharp contrast to his two previous attempts to win this race. Both ended in disappointment, including a run into fourth place 12 months ago when Battaash set off at odds-on, leading to concerns that he simply did not enjoy his trips to the Knavesmire.