Connections of Harry’s Yacht are keeping their options open after the three-year-old gelding delivered a commanding win in the Remembering Robbie Lang Handicap (1440m) on Saturday, with a potential tilt at the Silver Bowl Series Final (1600m) at Flemington now on the table.
Trained by the team of Leon and Troy Corstens and Will Larkin, Harry’s Yacht jumped at $4.40 and gave jockey Jye McNeil his second win of the day. The son of Harry Angel settled just behind the speed before surging to a 2-1/4 length victory over Yaldi ($18), with Butternut Princess ($17) close behind in third.
The possibility of stretching out to the mile in a week’s time was met with cautious optimism by both trainer and jockey post-race.
“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.”
Harry’s Yacht now boasts four wins from thirteen starts, and Saturday’s success offered further insight into his development, aided by the addition of a nose roll.
“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 now sits inside the top 10 in the Victorian Metro Jockey’s Premiership with 76 wins for the season, believes there’s still untapped potential in the gelding.
“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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