Favourite Kenyluck returns for Batavia Sprint as club gears up for $100,000 race

It will be a family fun day out on Sunday when the Geraldton Turf Club hosts its annual Batavia Sprint Cup.

Technically it is the second time the sprint cup has been held in 2022 after it was decided to move the event from January to November to take advantage of cooler weather.

There will be plenty of entertainment for the kids, with face painting, pony rides and a bouncy castle operating throughout the afternoon.

On track, all eyes will turn to the sprint Geraldton’s premier sprint race with a $100,000 prize purse on the line in race eight.

Twelve starters are scheduled to tackle the 1200m dash to the finish, with a few familiar names lining up.

Defending champion and two-time horse of the year Kenyluck will return in what will be just his fifth race since taking out the sprint in January.

Since then the seven-year-old gelding has been racing in Ascot, recording one win from four starts, and will be hoping a return to familiar surroundings can bring out his best form.

Corn Cob will also be in action with Natasha Faithfull once again on board after the four-year-old gelding saw its winning streak come to an end in its last meet on November 12 but will still be one of the favourites at his favoured distance.

Julia Martin will be the only trainer with two entries in the Sprint with Bombay Style also set to line up. The seven-year-old is a decent chance for a placing around its home track.

For those looking away from Geraldton, Disco Donut trained by Sue Olive could be a chance with two recent wins in Perth, though in his last race at the 1200m distance he was swamped late to finish ninth.

Relatively new trainer Felicity Forbes-Ives will be entering False Statement and with veteran jockey Peter Kncukey on board, he will be one to watch.

While the Sprint will be the main event, there are eight other races on a full day of racing action.

Chiclett and Constanst Dreaming look to be the best bet in race one, though Jupiter’s Sun is the most recent winner in a fairly open looking field.

A big and inexperienced field will line up for race two with no less than four debutants scheduled. American Agent looks the best of the bunch and hoping to go one better than its second place on November 12.

It looks to be a two-horse race in the third event, with Sans Le Sou and Be Seated looking the class of the field and both recent winners at the Turf Club.

Brisance is likely for race four, with Risky Lyrics and Sly as a Fox the likely challengers and Mr Rossi looking good for a place.

Race five is looking like the most open of the bunch but Dream to Me and Albert look the stronger, with Albert winning his last start at Geraldton two weeks ago.

Dark Peak and Uni Queen should be up the front for race six, while Edmond and Billy Jack look the best for race seven.

Chix Chatter is up in the final race of the day and you would be brave to bet against him with two wins and three second places in his past five outings, but Sure No Something is coming off back-to-back wins and could be dangerous.

Gates will open from noon with free entry. The Sprint is scheduled for a 4.55pm start.