Harrington has million reasons to smile after Torcedor storms into Cup picture

Jessica Harrington has her eye on a £1 million payday after classy stayer Torcedor put a disappointing effort in Dubai behind him to run out a thoroughly convincing winner of the Group 3 Longines Sagaro Stakes.

Already a Cheltenham Gold Cup winner with Sizing John, Harrington has a live contender for Ascot’s version next month, with a number of firms cutting Torcedor to 10-1 (from 16) for a race in which he was fifth last year.

Gold Cup card and betting

However, winning rider Colm O’Donoghue revealed that the Royal Ascot showpiece is not the only big prize on the trainer’s mind, with the new Weatherbys Hamilton Stayers’ Million – an initiative offering £1 million to the connections of any horse who wins the Gold Cup, Goodwood Cup and Lonsdale Cup, having also been successful in one of the established Gold Cup trials, of which the Sagaro is one – also in her thoughts.

“The series has been on Mrs Harrington’s mind and today was the first step,” said O’Donoghue. “She’ll make the decision if we do go that route, but you’d have to be very happy with today. He’s got a great constitution and takes his race well, so it’s a possibility.”

Winning rider Colm O'Donoghue with Torcedor and connections after their successCredit: Mark Cranham

But for Order Of St George, Torcedor would have been an Irish St Leger and Long Distance Cup winner by now, and Betway probably had the star stayer in mind when quoting 100-1 about Torcedor pulling off the stayers’ million.

Either way, O’Donoghue was clearly impressed with the winner, who was virtually pulled up at Meydan at the end of March.

“He was the class horse of the race and, if he ran to three-quarters of his best, I thought he’d beat those horses today,” he added.

“Dubai was just unfortunate. When you travel a horse that far you’re learning all the time, but he’s come back in great shape. He’s from the same family as Yeats and has that great body to him. Hopefully it’s all systems go for the Gold Cup.”

Time To Study ran a big personal best to chase home the winner in second and, while connections hope he can continue to mix it in pattern company, next Friday’s 188Bet Chester Cup is still a possibility.

“He’s run the race of his life but the winner was too good, it’s as simple as that,” said trainer Mark Johnston. “He’s still in the Chester Cup and I’ll have to think about it.

"Races like Chester and the Northumberland Plate are ideal but we were hoping he’d make that little step up into pattern races and he hasn’t done bad today.”

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