Harpocrates can put his class to use in the big sales race at Doncaster on Thursday, according to top commentator Mike Cattermole.
After all the excitement of the Leger Legends, the quality of racing cranks up a gear on day two of the St Leger Festival at Doncaster.
It is doubtful whether John Gosden will ever have a better team of fillies on his hands, headed by the incredible Enable of course, and the Newmarket trainer can mop up yet another big prize for the fairer sex with Enbihaar whose giant stride should be too much for the opposition in the Group Two DFS Park Hill Stakes.
Enbihaar is big individual all right, and it was to her credit that she managed to handle the hills and valleys of Goodwood so comfortably when landing the Lily Langtry Stakes in such taking style there on good to firm last month.
She outclassed a decent field, quickening up and storming home five lengths clear of Manuela De Vega with South Sea Pearl and Peach Tree, who both reoppose today, well held in third and sixth.
The runner-up confirmed the form with a good run in third against the colts in the March Stakes and Enbihaar is surely going to be hard to beat. She just gets better and better and the ground will be no issue.
It will certainly be quite different underfoot to the heavy ground of Deauville when Dame Malliot gamely landed a Group Two there last time. Ed Vaughan’s filly may have won in spite of the surface anyway but this will be the quickest ground she has encountered.
There is a huge pot in the Weatherbys Racing Bank Stakes and Harpocrates, a May foal who seems to have got his act together lately, could be hard to catch.
The son of Invincible Spirit responded well to first-time blinkers when attempting to make all in the Acomb Stakes, only to be caught by the talented Valdermoro in the dying strides.
Dropping him back half a furlong should not inconvenience him.
The obvious dangers are Repartee, third in the Gimcrack Stakes and Rayong who will put the Mums Tipple form to the test, having come out best of the rest when 11 lengths behind the Richard Hannon speedster at York. The extra half-furlong is in Rayong’s favour.
Speaking of the Hannon juveniles, hopes will be high that Cloak Of Spirits, who caught the eye when making a wining debut at Ascot, will be up to the task in the Group Two William Hill May Hill Stakes.
As Mums Tipple showed, when the Hannon juveniles win first time, they are usually pretty good and she wasn’t even said to be fully wound up at Ascot.
That said, Powerful Breeze also took the eye on her debut at Newmarket for Hugo Palmer when her time was marginally the fastest of the three races that day over seven furlongs.
Then there is the likeable Boomer who arguably has the best form and showed a good turn of foot to win the Group Three Prestige Stakes at Goodwood over seven. She does tend to be a bit keen early on, though, and will need to settle to get this trip effectively.
SELECTIONS
2.40 ENBIHAAR, 3.15 HARPOCRATES, 3.45 CLOAK OF SPIRITS
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