Racing: Brittain's excuse for Sayyedati flop is in the blood

BOOKMAKERS are often accused of using any excuse to cut the odds of a Classic contender, but Ladbrokes raised the process to an art form yesterday. The firm cut Sayyedati's price for the 1,000 Guineas to 3-1 from 4-1 - after her trainer, Clive Brittain, revealed that a blood test on Thursday night produced evidence of an illness, writes Greg Wood.

Brittain had just seen another of his three-year-old fillies, Sueboog, record a gritty success in the Fred Darling Stakes. The race's Classic relevance has more to do with Epsom in June than Newmarket in April, as Sueboog's target is the Oaks rather than the Guineas, and after yesterday's win she is no better than 16-1 for the Epsom race.

Brittain's optimism is legendary, and now that he is armed with an explanation for Sayyedati's lacklustre performance in the Nell Gwyn Stakes at Newmarket on Tuesday, he is hopeful that she will be at her best for the 1,000 Guineas a week on Thursday.

Bookmakers also love to hype potential Derby contestants on the thinnest of evidence, so it was no surprise that talk of Epsom was in the air after Cairo Prince's successful debut in the maiden. Trained by last year's Derby winning handler, Peter Chapple-Hyam, the colt quickly left his field behind after hitting the front over a furlong out, but his immediate quote of 33-1 for the year's toughest race is laughable.

Shrewd punters will take more interest in the fact that his success completed a double for Chapple-Hyam and his principal owner, Robert Sangster, earlier successful with Turtle Island in the two-year-old event. The Manton yard is clearly running into rich form.

One of Sangster's former trainers, Vincent O'Brien, has had mixed fortunes in recent years, but a possible return ticket to the big time makes his seasonal debut today. Fatherland, who will be ridden by Lester Piggott, has his 2,000 Guineas prep race at The Curragh.