Ortensia Headlines 2012 Sprint Cup Ante Post

We're getting closer by the day to one of the most anticipated sprint races of the season as Haydock prepares for the 2012 Sprint Cup this Saturday. After stringing together some very impressive performances in August, well-bred Australian mare Ortensia will be going into this one as the distinct betting choice, following a pair of scores over Spirit Quartz at Goodwood and York, respectively. She's already amassed a fairly impressive line-up of victories this year – a fact punctuated by her score in the Al Quoz Sprint at Meydan.

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She had undergone occasional trips to Hong Kong to contest big races at Sha Tin, usually without any notable success but she seems to have found her place in the upper echelons of Britain's Sprint Handicap division. A number of the top contenders will be lining up against her here and the results should prove intriguing.

As it currently stands, Ortensia can be backed at a slim 5/2 price with most major bookmakers.

Bated Breath has been the second choice for a while and we've just seen some steam in the past 24 hours for Bated Breath's chances. The Juddmonte-bred five-year-old bay is a horse for course at Haydock – the site of two of his three victories since last May.

His only failure at Haydock within that period was a loss by a nose to Dream Ahead – a sprinter that deserves respect. Look for Bated Breath around 4/1 as punters begin to pile on to the course specialist.

Mayson sits as a clear third-choice amongst the top selections and he has been freshened well since his score at Newmarket back in mid-July. Conquering the Group 1 Darley July Cup is easily one of the biggest moments in his career and it's seen his ratings reach a career-high at 110.

Look for Mayson in the region of about 7/1.

Other notable contenders from the sprint handicap circuit include the respected Society Rock, who hasn't won since last July. Strong Suit is also in the mix and you'll find him trading around 10/1 or as low as 8/1. He hasn't won since last October but has been steadily improving with each start and looks good in his fourth start off the freshening.

Hitchens lines up at 14/1 just a step ahead of Soul (a bit of poetic juxtaposition there isn't it?).

The true outsider here is Hawkeyethenoo at a 16/1 price tag.