Harry’s Back

[Wandering Eyes]

He began last year in the shadow of Caravaggio (Scat Daddy), but by season’s end Harry Angel (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) had the world’s top sprinting bragging rights and there is a feeling he could have progressed again during the gloom of the European winter. York’s Knavesmire springs back into action gain on Wednesday, with the start of the three-day Dante meeting and Godolphin’s G1 July Cup and G1 Haydock Sprint Cup hero is the chief attraction as he returns in the G2 Duke of York Clipper Logistics S. Trainer Clive Cox has no doubt what he is dealing with.

“He is a once-in-a-lifetime horse,” he commented. “He makes the heart race on every occasion you see him on the racetrack. On last year he was the highest-rated six-furlong horse in the world. That’s an amazing accolade and I’m very proud to be in charge of him.”

Sprinters returning under a penalty have won two of the last five renewals, but his trainer is wary of where he is at on this comeback. “We had a tricky spring and I think it’s fair to say this is a starting point. So I’d be pleased when he has got his first run under his belt,” he added. “But he is in good nick and the yard is going well at the moment. He is turning up with a penalty because of his Group 1 success last year, but I am very happy with him.”

Last year’s winner Tasleet (GB) (Showcasing {GB}) also reappears on contrasting conditions to the soft that he raced on 12 months ago, with this being the first genuine good-to-firm ground festival of the year. He showed on his next start that he is not one-dimensional when runner-up in Royal Ascot’s G1 Diamond Jubilee S. on this type of fast turf and like his relative and fellow Shadwell sprinting star Battaash (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}), has the kind of prowess in this category that is impervious to the racing surface.

Trainer William Haggas said of the lightly-campaigned 5-year-old, who was last seen finishing runner-up when Harry Angel flopped in fourth in Ascot’s G1 QIPCO British Champions Sprint S. in October, “He’s a good horse, softer ground slows the others down a bit probably, but he’s as good as we can have him for this stage of the season. Obviously Harry Angel is a top-class horse and even with a penalty will be very hard to beat still, but you never know. The races pick themselves for him this season, except he won’t be going for the July Cup as I don’t think he likes Newmarket. He’ll go for the Prix Maurice de Gheest as a replacement.”

Trailing behind Tasleet in last year’s Duke of York was Angie Bailey’s Brando (GB) (Pivotal {GB}), who broke a blood vessel on this uninterrupted terrain designed for unflinching speed. He comes back off a win in Newmarket’s G3 Abernant S. Apr. 19 as he did 12 months ago and if lightning strikes twice, connections will rue the decision. There is nothing in his prior outings here to suggest it is York which is the problem and his latest defeat of Sir Dancealot (Ire) (Sir Prancealot {Ire}) was visually one of his finest as a first start after a wind op. He escapes a penalty for his victory in Deauville’s G1 Prix Maurice de Gheest in August.

“He’s in good form, he did well at Newmarket and he should have improved from the run,” trainer Kevin Ryan commented. “He was disappointing in this race last year, but it’s a different year now and we’ll try again. Harry Angel will be tough to beat, but we’ll have to take him on sometime and we can’t avoid him.”

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