The Gutsy Harzand
June 26th, 2016 | Marten's Current Racing Diary
Harzand must rank as one of the toughest middle-distance three-year-olds that we have seen for a long time.
Both at Epsom, and at the Curragh yesterday, the son of Sea The Stars looked likely to be caught inside the final furlong but, on both occasions, he dug deep and found more to repel the challenge.
Dermot Weld says the Irish Derby was a superior race to Epsom, even though the winner’s margin of victory over Idaho and fourth-home Red Verdon says otherwise. Harzand will now enjoy a well-deserved rest and be prepared for the Arc.
In conclusion, I think we have to attribute the winner’s dual-Derby success to the state of the ground. We do not yet have any evidence to assess how effective the colt would be in faster conditions, but I think we can assume that his rivals – notably US Army Ranger – would have preferred it quicker.
I am away south for a fortnight from today but hope to update this page towards the end of the week or when the occasion demands.
Bye for now
Marten
