Harrington readying Flat team as season kicks into gear

Jessica Harrington is readying a team of Flat horses for the turf season that is just beginning to gain pace.

Nearing the end of treatment for breast cancer, Harrington is very much looking forward as plans are made for her 2023 cohort.

Harrington had a successful 2022, with Magical Lagoon winning both the Ribblesdale Stakes at Royal Ascot and the Irish Oaks.

Trevaunance was a continental success story and landed both the Prix de Psyche and Prix de la Nonette at Deauville before finishing eighth in the Prix de l’Opera at ParisLongchamp.

More Group One outings are planned for this season, as Harrington said: “She was a great servant last year in Deauville, she won a Group Three and a Group Two and wasn’t disgraced in the Group One Prix de l’Opera at Longchamp.

“She is going to start off in the Mooresbridge at the Curragh on May 1, but her main aim for the first half of the season is going to be the Pretty Polly.”

Harrington is known to be one of the best producers of fillies in the sport and she has a promising string of three-year-olds who had good juvenile seasons and now have high aims for the year ahead.

Sounds Of Heaven was a maiden winner and is on the Guineas trail, as is Group One third Eternal Silence.

Of the former, Harrington said: “She was impressive when winning her maiden at Leopardstown last season. She has got very strong, we had a tiny setback with her in January time but she is 100 per cent now and heads to the Guineas trial at the beginning of May.”

Of Eternal Silence, she added: “She is still maiden but she was third in the Moyglare last year.

“She is working very nicely and we are just waiting for some nice ground with her to hopefully break her maiden tag en route to the Guineas.

“However, if the ground does not come right for her she will go straight to the Guineas.”

Harrington has two entries in the Irish 2,000 Guineas in Quar Shamar and Bold Discovery, the latter of whom was second to Aidan O’Brien’s Hans Andersen in the 2,000 Guineas Trial at Leopardstown earlier this month.

The trainer said: “He had a very nice run in the Guineas trial at Leopardstown. He will go to the Curragh for the Tetrarch on May Bank Holiday weekend.”

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