Sydney, February 13 – The powerful Peter Moody stable tasted success at Randwick on Saturday with lightly raced Magic Albert colt Master Harry scoring a tenacious win in the Group IIAJC Royal Sovereign Stakes.
Master Harry (pictured courtesy of www.stevehart.com.au ) only arrived in Sydney on Friday, but he showed no ill effects from the trip, flying the gates and leading all the way to score in a blanket finish from the Queenslander Audacious Spirit.
“It was a good, tough effort,” winning jockey Tim Clark said.
“He was definitely headed by Audacious Spirit in the straight, but he dug deep and fought back; sticking his head out on the line.
“I don’t think he was entirely comfortable in the ground either. It’s getting a bit shifty out there with this rain.”
A stakes-winner when making his debut at Flemington last March, Master Harry has started only twice since then before his victory on Saturday and has the overall record of two wins and a second from four starts with earnings of $184,300.
Master Harry’s win continued the Moody stable’s fruitful association with Hong Kong owner K K Chung who has raced the likes of Speedy Natalie and Ambitious General.
Master Harry was purchased for Mr Chung by Bill Mitchell, who secured the son of Magic Albert for $100,000 from the Kanangra draft at the 2009 Inglis Classic Yearling Sale.
Master Harry was the second highest priced yearling sired by Magic Albert in 2009 and is a full brother to former smart Sydney mare Lieserl, being from the metropolitan winner Sri Lanka, a half-sister to stakes-winner Key Issue from stakes-winner Momentaire
He was bred by the Cobcroft family who have nurtured this female family for many years to produce stakes-winners such as Hot as Hell and Flaming Hot, plus the more recent HK stakes-winner Craig’s Dragon.
Sri Lanka produced a full sister to Master Harry last spring and is now back in foal to Magic Albert.
Master Harry is one of 10 stakes-winners for Magic Albert, who has been enjoying his best ever season on the track with 71 winners from 159 runners giving him a 44% winner to runner strike rate, which is the envy of his peers.
