The training trio of Leon & Troy Corstens & Will Larkin will let the dust settle before deciding whether Harry’s Yacht will step up to a mile at Flemington on Saturday.
The three-year-old gelding ran out a dominant 2-1/4 length winner in the Remembering Robbie Lang Handicap (1440m), with the Silver Bowl Series Final (1600m) at Flemington a possible target in seven days’ time.
Starting $4.40 in the market, Jye Mcneil notched an early double on the card after positioning the son of Harry Angel just behind the speed, taking over early in the straight and kicking right away to beat Yaldi ($18) with Butternut Princess ($17) a neck away in third.
The post-race sentiment in regard to Harry’s Yacht running a strong 1600m from both trainer and jockey was cautious optimism.
“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.”
Now a four-time winner from thirteen starts, the stable are beginning to work Harry’s Yacht out, who had a nose roll applied on Saturday.
“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.”
McNeil brought up his 76th winner of the season and moved into the top 10 in the Victorian Metro Jockey’s Premiership with a month to go in the 2024/25 season and said there could be more to come with Harry’s Yacht.
“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.”
