More to Come from Boom 2YO Colt

The thoroughbred industry is a tough arena to play in, no matter the grade, but when it comes to boom 2YOs that don't quite live up to immediate scrutiny, the're quickly sacked. A fair case in point came in last Saturday's Gr2 Spirit of Boom Classic where a juvenile by Darley's Harry Angel stepped up many levels to take on a slick field at just his second start. Named Angel Capital, there were huge expectations of the Clinton MacDonald-trained youngster who finished fifth behind exciting Snitzel colt Bittercreek who topped the WFA 2YO ratings on the day when given a mark of 96.8. At first glance, Angel Capital's rating of 91.1 isn't all that flash, however expert Daniel O'Sullivan viewed the performance through a more forgiving prism despite not living up to the hype created when winning his Cranbourne debut by panels. According to racing.com, O'Sullivan explained that Angel Capital had improved quite a bit from his first start which was marked as 84.8. "He showed a sharp acceleration in that debut win and ran an outstanding last 200m split, all indicative of a horse with good talent. Still, he had spent very little energy to that point and rating performance is about putting all factors into context." Pitched in at the deep end second-up, Angel Capital was under pressure far earlier in the run, which showed in the closing stages, beaten 2.5-lengths. O'Sullivan conceded the colt might not have handled the Soft7 surface, and suggested, "The key positive is that he took a big step up on his debut rating, and I expect he'll benefit from that experience in a more demanding race. He's undoubtedly still a highly promising horse, and I'm keen to see how much of that potential he can show at his next start in the BRC Sires Produce over 1400m."