Knight leads ace team of juveniles for resurgent yard
| Published date | 19 January 2022 |
Harris trained a then career-best 32 winners in 2010-11, just prior to his financial problems, but having shown last season that things were on the up with 18 winners, he is already on 36 for the current campaign.
The dual Group 2-winning juvenile hurdler Knight Salute has been flying the flag for the Wiltshire team and is due to appear next in the Adonis Hurdle at Kempton. "Knight Salute has done us proud and hopefully will do himself justice in the Triumph Hurdle, but we're far from a one-horse yard.
"I must admit I'm proud of our current 22 per cent strike-rate, particularly as most of ours are handicappers. For a big yard that picks up novice races left, right and centre, it's easy to have a strike-rate of 20-plus per cent, but when they're mainly handicappers the norm is about eight per cent. I fully accept it'll dip a little before the end of the season but to me our strike-rate illustrates just how well things are going."
Achy Breaky Heart 8 b m Milan - Hazy Outlook She has been a big contributor to our recordbreaking season with three wins over hurdles and fences. She's a solid and honest mare and, although she goes on any ground, definitely prefers quicker conditions. She can add to her haul off her current mark.
Aliomaana 4 ch f Raven's Pass - Taqdees She was with John and Thady Gosden on the Flat and has already got on the scorecard for us when taking a Perth maiden hurdle in the autumn. Two runs ago she finished about four lengths behind her stablemate Knight Salute at Cheltenham, which was a very decent run. Last time she didn't really appreciate the slower ground and we'll be looking to the spring for her. I have a feeling the Boodles [Fred Winter] at Cheltenham might not pan out as it usually does this year, and if that were the case she might get in at the bottom of the weights and would be very interesting. Knight Salute has a mark of 135 and yet Aliomaana is 114, and to my mind she'd be extremely competitive if they met on their handicap marks, so I'd be very keen off this mark to go to the festival, but we must get in first. She has strengthened up over the winter and from what I see at home she's better than she has shown on the racecourse.
Bari Breeze 7 b g Shirocco - Byerley Sophie He's a solid handicapper who won a Newton Abbot bumper in the autumn and has since finished second twice in maiden hurdles. Two starts ago he ran over the wrong trip [3m1½f], which was trainer error, so you can ignore that effort. He showed better form over shorter in bumpers and I think anywhere from 2m to 2m6f is fine. He jumps a fence well at home and I think he can win races over hurdles and fences. Danny Whizzbang 9 b g Getaway - Lakil Princess He's a lovely addition to the yard having previously been with Paul Nicholls. I know Paul very well and he has been very helpful. Last time out at Doncaster, where I thought he would go well, he...
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