It was quite the performance from our stable star, Diligent Harry, as he finished with his head in front in a spectacular finish winning the BetUK Spring Championships, bringing the All-Weather Finals Day to a close at Newcastle (7th April). This was such an exciting success not only for his owning syndicate and the team, but more importantly the horse himself, as it places him as the first to win two different Finals Day races. Back in 2021, we celebrated this triumphant accolade with him taking the AW Championships title at Lingfield as a three-year-old.
Typically not a front runner, Diligent Harry broke smartly and was quick away to establish a strong pace and narrow lead on his competition. A slightly different approach to his previous racing strategies, but Kieran Shoemark kept him nicely on the bridle until the half-way point where we saw the five-year-old increase his advantage and run into the closing stages with tremendous confidence, speed and a self-assured attitude. Fending off a strong challenge from Witch Hunter and Anaaf, he crossed the line in front by a head.
He is a horse that continues to impress and after gelding him last September he has matured into his racing with his eye now firmly on the prize. We are really excited for his next performance on the turf as we look ahead to York next month, with his entry in the Group 2 Duke of York Stakes.
