Harry’s Son stretches to an easy win (JC Photos)
Equus champion 2yo colt of last term Harry’s Son made it a hat-trick of feature wins for Australian-bred runners when he cruised to a top-class victory in the R250 000 Gr3 Graham Beck Stakes run over 1400m at Turffontein on Saturday. The KZN raider had the odds stacked against him but proved more than equal to the task in the hands of milestone chasing champion jockey, Piere Strydom.
Commentator Nico Kritsiotis gave the much maligned Equus selection panel a free endorsement in the closing stages of the race after the 2yo champion filly Majmu had made it a happy vindicating double for the awards committee, when winning the Gr3 Starling Stakes earlier in the afternoon.
Harry’s Son was allowed to drift out to 7 to 1 on the support for Mike De Kock’s Jayyed who came into 14 to 10 and was expected to turn the tables on his Premiers Champion Stakes conqueror, although it was on the short side for him.
But it was not to be as the son of Jet Master dawdled early on and only got going late in the race to chase Harry’s Son home.
But what price Jayyed in a maiden next time?
After Corne Spies’ Fire Horse was taken out at the start, recent impressive maiden winner Trip to Heaven carted the field along while Strydom sat in his slipstream for most of the race.
The tracking of the talented Tarry horse was probably a well considered tactical move by Strydom but things got really tight in the final 300m as Harry’s Son climbed all over them with nowhere to go.
Piere Strydom – maintained his composure
But the gap appeared timeously, as it tends to do for thinking jockeys and good horses, and Strydom unleashed the Australian at the 200m marker.
It was race over in a matter of strides and with only Jayyed chasing to no avail late in the race to be beaten a convincing two lengths.
Harry’s Son clocked a winning time of 83,79 secs.
Trip To Heaven stayed on well for third.
Piere Strydom was riding his 4994th career winner and said that he couldn’t take any accolades for the win as he was drawn 1.
“It is not easy for a horse to come up from KZN but I can see and feel that he has matured beautifully,” he said afterwards.
Harry’s son was bred in Australia by Cranton Bloodstock and is by Haradasun, a triple Gr1 winner and champion 3yo in Australia. He is out of the Anabaa mare, Dash On Ruby.
Paul Lafferty trained the winner
He was signed for by Phil Georgiou for A$ 60 000 off the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.
Harry’s Son has earned at all seven of his starts and made it three wins after bouncing back here from a 14 week break following a superb win in the Gr1 Premiers Champion Stakes.
He has now earned R744 000 and looks a colt with a really bright future. But so are Jayyed and Trip To Heaven, and they will clash again in the future.
The win also improved a tough week for trainer Paul Lafferty, who has taken some stick in the media following a substance possession guilty finding following what he termed a ‘witch-hunt’ by the NHA.
But this will put a smile back on his dial!
