'He’s a beautiful horse but he just wants to please' - Group 1 goals for Yulong's Harry Angel colt

Yulong’s decision to privately purchase Angel Capital, a Group 2-winning son of Darley’s dual-hemisphere stallion Harry Angel, continues to be vindicated after the colt produced a sparkling performance on reappearance to win Saturday’s Listed Chautauqua Stakes at Moonee Valley.

Previously trained by Clinton McDonald, Angel Capital joined champion trainer Chris Waller’s stable earlier this year following his Group 2 Autumn Stakes success at Caulfield. 

Having missed the Australian winter due to unsuitable tracks, the four-year-old returned in the style he left off, surging to stakes success by almost four lengths under Damian Lane.

“He’s a beautiful horse but he just wants to please,” Waller’s assistant Charlie Duckworth said. “Damian gave him a lovely ride, nice and soft early, and when he wanted to open him up he was there ready to explode. It was an exciting win.”

Angel Capital’s spring programme will be geared towards securing a Group 1 victory, further enhancing both his future stallion profile and his sire’s existing one.

Harry Angel has quickly become one of the most sought-after young sires in Australia, with his three winners at the highest level—Tom Kitten, War Machine and Private Harry—all bred and trained in the country. 

Standing for as little as A$16,500 just three seasons ago, the son of Dark Angel raced away with the Australia’s third-season sires’ title this year, his progeny earning over A$14.6 million compared to the A$6.7 million of second-placed Justify. 

The 11-year-old also finished inside the top ten on the general sires’ table despite a comparatively small number of runners on the ground. 

Angel Capital appears destined to become his sire’s fourth top-flight winner, with his next target either the Group 1 Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes or the Group 1 Manikato Stakes, respectively run at Caulfield and Moonee Valley later this month.

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