Scampi made an early strike in 2023 with a stunning win in a £350k handicap at the prestigious York Dante meeting on May 17. This was followed by a couple of runs where things didn’t go his way, but he returned to form with a vengeance in July, finishing a fantastic second in the £150k Old Newton Cup at Haydock, as well as a strong performance in the £200k John Smith’s Cup when finishing sixth. He gave his owners their second big handicap win of the season with a breathtaking success in the Shergar Cup Challenge at Ascot on August 12.
Scampi has proven himself to be a top handicap performer and after not staying the 1m 6f trip in the £500k York Ebor on August 26, he will now be aimed at more high quality handicaps over a little shorter. Scampi also holds international entries in the $5m Caulfield Cup (Saturday, October 21) and the $8m Melbourne Cup (Tuesday, November 7) in Australia in the autumn, although, he’s likely to need a further rise in the ratings to get in to one of those races.