Coppull Too Strong In The Hungerford

Up to seven furlongs for the first time in Newbury's G2 Visit Malta Hungerford Stakes on Saturday, David Armstrong's Coppull (Bated Breath) successfully carried his speed to regain the winning thread.

Last seen mixing it with the best sprinters when fourth in the July Cup, last year's Richmond Stakes winner and Middle Park third who had also taken the Commonwealth Cup Trial in the spring enjoyed a lead initially before being taken wide by Hector Crouch to race on his own terms before halfway. Strong to the line, the 15-2 shot had 1 1/4 lengths to spare over Prince Of India (Wootton Bassett) there, with the 5-2 favourite Symbol Of Honour (Havana Grey) 3/4 of a length away in third.

“That will give him a bit of confidence more than anything. The way he has won that, with such authority, was class,” trainer Clive Cox said. “We won this race for the first time with Lethal Force back in 2012 and it was similar, as he made the running that day.”

Coppull had been eighth in the Commonwealth Cup before finishing in the mix at Newmarket, where Cox believed he was a touch unlucky. “I was a little bit deflated as we were so near, yet so far in the July Cup and he didn't get the best run but these things happen in racing,” he added. “Those top-quality sprinters have the ability to stay that little bit further and they need to for the speed of those six-furlong races. That was why I was drawn here and thankfully that will give us a whole load of confidence which puts us back in the fast lane where we want to be.”

Future targets are plentiful now that the winner has proven his ability to stay this far, but his trainer is eyeing a return to six if things fall right. “I'm still not convinced he likes it really soft, but with the dry summer we have had we have the choice to run in the Sprint Cup at Haydock,” he said. “We still have the Park Stakes over seven, but he'd have a penalty in that now.”

What a performance!

COPPULL lands the Group 2 Visit Malta Hungerford Stakes! 🏆@NewburyRacing | @HectorCrouch pic.twitter.com/I7CNStBL6u

— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) August 15, 2026

Pedigree Notes
Coppull is the second foal out of Highfield Farm's Springwood Drive (Mayson), a daughter of the 20,000gns purchase Ocean Boulevard (Danehill Dancer) who was snapped up from the Meon Valley Stud draft at the 2015 Tattersalls July Sale. Responsible for the smart handicapper Bickerstaffe and fairly useful Coppull Hall Lane also by Armstrong's July Cup hero Mayson, she is out of Ventura Highway (Machiavellian) who produced the Lingfield Derby Trial winner Allessandro Volta (Montjeu).

The fifth dam is the Prix de l'Opera heroine Bella Colora (Bellypha), the half-sister to the Irish Oaks heroine Colorspin (High Top) and Irish Champion Stakes hero Cezanne (Ajdal) from the dam line of the famous tap-root mare Reprocolor (Jimmy Reppin). Included in the pedigree are the multiple Group scorer Poet (Pivotal), the Dante winner Telecaster (New Approach) and the Challenge Stakes winner Al Suhail (Dubawi). Springwood Drive's unraced two-year-old filly Yarrow Bridge is by A'ali, while she also has a yearling filly by Perfect Power.