St Harry impressed on debut in the first at Hollywoodbets Kenilwoth on Tuesday (Picture: Wayne Marks)
The first race at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth today, a Maiden Juvenile Plate over 1000m, saw the Australian-bred St. Harry coming from an impossible position to win going away and the performance would have given hope to the connections that splashing out R900,000 for him at last year’s BSA National Yearling Sale will turn out to be worth it.
The Peter Muscutt-trained Harry Angel colt came in for a flood of support that saw him shorten from 25/2 into 18/10 but he looked to have blown his chances when slowly away and detached by a length or two at the back of the field in the early stages.
At the 400m he was still right at the back and had a wall of horses in front of him but a gap opened at the 350m mark and he began scything his way through the field impressively.
However, at the 200m mark his burst looked to be coming to an end and he still had four or five lengths to make up on the original favourite Godric Gryffindor, who was striding out well in front.
Craig Zackey then gave St Harry two or three backhanders and he responded with a tremendous turn of foot to reel the leaders in and win going away by half-a-length.
The Vaughan Marshall-trained pair Hero’s Journey, a 66/1 first-timer by Heavenly Blue, and Godric Gryffindor (Time Thief) finished second and third respectively.
Harry Angel was a top class July Cup-winning sprinter and St Harry’s dam Divine Day was a one-time winner over 1100m by precocious Gr 2 winner Domesday, but she is a half-sister to a Gr 2 winner who won up to 1650m, so time will tell whether St Harry can go further than sprints.
St Harry is still gangly and immature in appearance and Muscutt said he had come to the course today “partially underdone”, so he should have plenty of improvement to come.
He is well worth following.
St Harry is owned by Messrs G A R Sturlese, H J Da Silva, B W Hamilton, S Perumal, S Poriazis & Dr R Rotham.
It was said in the winner’s interview that he was bred by Marsh Shirtliff, but clarity will be needed because this horse first appeared on an Inglis Sale in Australia, from which he was withdrawn, and he was to be vendored at that Sale by Glastonbury Farms as agent.
