'He’s gone from strength-to-strength' - Harry Angel's Pattern scorer War Machine set for Group 1 tilt in Australia

War Machine, a son of Darley shuttler Harry Angel, is set for a Group 1 tilt at the Stradbroke Handicap next month after recording his first Group victory in the BRC Sprint at Doomben on Saturday. 

A last-time-out winner at Caulfield for his new team, Ben, Will and JD Hayes, having transferred from Glen Thompson and the late Michael Moroney, the four-year-old was making it two wins from as many starts for the Lindsay Park operation. 

JD Hayes said: “That was an unbelievable effort by the horse. We’ve only had him a short time. He came in incredible condition from Ballymore and we’ve been very lucky to inherit him and he’s gone from strength-to-strength. He had his ears pricked on the line and we’re really looking forward to the Stradbroke.

“He’s a lovely calm animal and a real professional. That was only his 12th start and he’s on the way up. We’re extremely excited to see what we can do in the next couple of weeks and in the spring.

One of 20 individual stakes winners for Harry Angel, War Machine is out of the winning Hussonet mare Caserta and was bred by MDJ Bloodstock Ltd. He was offered at both the New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sales and the Ready To Run Sale from the Wallace family’s Ardsley Stud, but failed to reach his NZ$100,000 reserve both times. 

War Machine’s first stakes win came in the Bendigo Guineas and he has now accumulated five wins and four placings for prize-money of A$680,010. He is the $5 favourite for the A$3 million Stradbroke on June 14. 

Harry Angel will return to Darley’s Kelvinside base for an increased fee of A$66,000, up from the A$38,500 he stood for last year.

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