Harry Three

14th-May-2022

I am backing Harry Three here.

Two for three on all-weather last year, Clive Cox’s horse stepped forward when he raced on turf for the first time at Newmarket in April, and he stepped forward again last time back at Newmarket.

On his penultimate run, he raced on the far side from his low draw in a race that developed on the near side.  Taken back early on that day, he did well to stay on as well as he did on the far side to finish third behind Anadora, just losing out on second and doing best by far of the horses who raced on the far side.

He was beaten last time back at Newmarket, but he finished a clear second to a very smart-looking horse of Mick Channon’s in Ingra Tor, where he had Anadora behind him in third.

He is back today over the same course and distance, the course and distance over which he has put up the best two performances of his career to date.  A 2lb hike to a mark of 91 is not harsh, and the excellent Adam Kirby, who rode him to his first two victories, is back on board.

I think that favourite Haymaker may be vulnerable, I think that he was flattered by the bare form if his run last time when he won a seven-furlong handicap at Newmarket, when he and the runner-up North Lincoln – who was a well-beaten favourite at Newmarket yesterday – were the only two to race on the far side, probably on the fastest part of the track.

Lir Speciale is a bigger danger in my book, but he is drawn in stall one, with the stalls on the stands side, away from the favoured stands rail.  Harry Three has a nice draw in stall seven and, with normal luck in-running – and that is a concern, given his hold-up style of racing – he should go close. 

He is an each-way bet.  This is not obviously a good each-way race, but I am happy to invest two points, and I am happy that 11/10 or even money about him finishing in the places is worth having on side as the place part of the bet.  

HARRY THREE WON (ADV 11/2, SP 9/2)