Harry's Bar and Gavin Ryan © Photo Healy Racing
Harry's Bar asserted in good style in the closing stages to run out a cosy winner of the six-furlong conditions race at Dundalk.
Just three went to post for the race but it was a quality contest with the 111-rated Speak In Colours topping the field.
Joseph O'Brien 's smart sprinter was giving away weight to his two rivals and went off 11/8 joint-favourite with the eventual winner. Alfredo Arcano an eight-time winner at the track, made the running before being joined by the other pair a furlong-and-a-half from home.
Harry's Bar gained a narrow lead a furlong out and was nicely on top in the closing stages to record a three-and-a-quarter length success.
The winner, two from two since joining the yard, is now on course for a trip to Saudi Arabia with trainer Ado McGuinness saying:-
“He’s heading to Saudi and it was lovely to get the blow into him. He’s done it easy enough in the end.
“He’s running on dirt over there but hopefully he’ll handle it. It’s all new to him but there is a lot of money there and it’s worth going and taking a punt. We’ve got the invite and we’re taking it up. Gavin will ride him.
“He was a great buy and I think we’ll have a lot of fun with this horse the whole way through the year. He’s owned by Swords Bloodstock and Shamrock Thoroughbreds
“Speak In Colours is going for the grass but we weren’t high enough for it. I think he’ll handle the dirt as he’s a strong traveller.
“Bowerman is heading to Doha later this month and Ronan Whelan is going to ride him. I think he’s the highest rated horse in the race. It’s a tight enough track but you have to go and take a chance with the prize-money on offer.
“We’d love to have got a run into him here but he worked here the other day and we were very happy with him.
“We’re probably going to take Saltonstall out to Saudi as well. It’s great to have horses of that calibre to take out to these places.
“The races in Doha and Saudi are both in two weeks’ time. The prize-money is extraordinary.”
Joseph O'Brien's assistant Brendan Powell confirmed that Speak In Colours was also set to travel to Saudi Arabia:-
“We wanted to get a run into him here as he’s going for the race in Saudi that he was fourth in last year.
“He’ll improve from that run and to go there you have to be one hundred per cent. He’s quite a big horse girth wise so this will have brought him on a tonne tonight.”
(Quotes by Alan Magee)
