Diligently produced a stunning late surge to win the Harry’s Half Million By Goffs Premier Yearling Stakes at York as a 22-1 outsider.
The spotlight was on Arizona Blaze, the 11-8 favourite who had previously finished third in the Group One Phoenix Stakes. Ridden by David Egan, Arizona Blaze took the lead in the final furlong and seemed set for victory.
But Rossa Ryan had Diligently in close pursuit, and the Clive Cox-trained colt made a decisive move on the far side, snatching victory by a head and claiming the £249,908 first prize. This win marked a consecutive success in the race for Cox, following Dragon Leader's triumph last year.
Cox said: “Winning Harry’s race last year was incredibly special to me, and doing it again this year is fantastic. It’s particularly gratifying given Diligently’s pedigree as a son of Harry Angel. We originally thought running him over five furlongs might sharpen his mind. He had a tough race at Sandown last time but has clearly put that behind him. Today’s performance shows he’s the horse we hoped he would be, and his progress is very encouraging.”
Adrian Murray, trainer of Arizona Blaze, remarked: “He looked like he had it in the bag, but the winner came on strong at the end. If the challenge had come sooner, we might have held on. We had a slightly slow start, which David felt cost us a length and possibly the race. We’re very pleased with his performance and are considering a move back to Pattern company. The owner, Kia Joorabchian, is keen on a Breeders’ Cup bid in America.”