Harry’s Yacht made a big impression at Caulfield on Saturday with a dominant display in the Remembering Robbie Lang Handicap (1440m), prompting his training team to consider a quick back-up into the Silver Bowl Series Final (1600m) at Flemington next weekend.
The gelding, trained by Leon & Troy Corstens and Will Larkin, stalked the speed before bursting clear under Jye McNeil to win by 2-1/4 lengths. Sent out as a $4.40 chance, he proved too classy for Yaldi ($18) and Butternut Princess ($17), who finished second and third respectively.
While not committed to a firm decision yet, Larkin said they would see how Harry’s Yacht recovers before confirming a start over the mile.
“It’s definitely a thought, we’ll see how he pulls up,” Larkin said.
“I didn’t know if he was going to be that dominant at the back end of 1400 (metres), but he was, so it’s something to consider.”
Now a winner of four races from thirteen starts, Harry’s Yacht is developing into a more complete racehorse, especially after the application of a nose roll helped him settle better in the run.
“We thought that he was going to be a sprinter just because he was doing things a bit wrong and we didn’t know whether he was going to settle down to stretch out over further,” Larkin said.
“But his breeding would suggest probably a mile is going to be the best thing for him.”
Jye McNeil, who continues to rise in the Victorian jockeys’ ranks, was happy with the gelding’s effort but noted there’s still room for improvement.
“He seemed to have floated a bit late, but he was out in front by himself,” McNeil said.
“Even if the competition was a bit stronger and he had to chase him a bit harder, I’m not sure.
“You never know how a horse is going to back up. That’s completely unknown, but I’ll leave that to the team. They know their horse.”
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