Harris: New juvenile squad can top last season’s heroes

The re-emergence and rise of Milton Harris was one of the most feel-good stories of the 2021/22 jumps season as the Wiltshire-based trainer smashed his personal-best tally for winners, four years after returning to the game he loves.

Having celebrated more than 170 victories in his first 10 years in the job, Harris saw his world come crashing down in 2011 when the British Horseracing Authority removed his license as the handler filed for bankruptcy.

The initial comeback was steady and understated as Harris managed just six winners from a limited string in each of his first two campaigns back.

But, after progress in the 2020/21 season, the yard kicked on in striking fashion last year, thanks largely to the strength of his juveniles.

Six of Harris’ top 11 earners last season came from his young crop with Grade One winner Knight Salute leading the charge, along with fellow winners Hasty Parisian, Genuflex, Aliomaana, Silver Shade and Galah.

Despite significant success in that division, Harris believes his new squad of youngsters could well be even stronger.

“We had a wonderful year with Knight Salute last year and a good year with our juveniles all-round,” Harris told Sky Sports Racing. “Without wanting to take anything away from Knight Salute, we’ve got a better bunch this year.

“We’ve got about six again and I suspect we’ll take one up to Sedgefield again because it’s good for these Flat horses to get some confidence.”

Harris hoping to bring joy for ‘hero’ Harry Redknapp

Perhaps the most exciting of this season’s three-year-olds is Postmark, co-owned by former Tottenham and Portsmouth manager Harry Redknapp.

Formerly trained by Ralph Beckett, Postmark made a winning start for his new team in this summer’s Racing League under Frankie Dettori and Harris expects him to take “high rank” in the juvenile hurdling division.

“Postmark was bought to go hurdling and he’ll make a proper juvenile hurdler,” Harris said.

“It’s nice to have Harry Redknapp in the yard as he’s a proper working-class hero. I can associate with Harry. Hopefully we’ll have some fun at the end of the Flat season before going hurdling.

“Ralph [Beckett] is a good trainer and when we buy these horses from these yards, we have to try to do something different.

“We schooled him before we ran at Lingfield and he jumps really well. He’s going to be a 90-plus rated Flat three-year-old going hurdling so that should put him in high rank in that discipline.”

Big plans for Super Superjack

Another with footballing connections, of sorts, Super Superjack – named after Jack Grealish and run in claret and blue colours of his Aston Villa-supporting owner – will join Postmark over hurdles once his Flat duties are completed.

Harris has big plans for his stayer who, despite victories this year at Goodwood and Ascot, frustrated his trainer after narrowly missing out on a big handicap prize at the Goodwood Festival last month.

Harris said: “He drives me mad! In the flat game, the margins of error are completely different and I felt a bit sorry for Kieran O’Neill at Goodwood. He made a split second decision and if he sits, suffers and follows the eventual winner through, he probably wins.

“He [Super Superjack] jumps well and I’ve convinced the owner to go hurdling.

“The plan is to run in the Cesarewitch trial at Newmarket and if that goes well he’ll go for the Cesarewitch. He’s got to get in of course and 86 might just get him there. Newmarket’s big long straight, where he can take his time and get into a rhythm, should suit.

“I managed to get him beat off 45! He’s just a little bit kinky and naughty. Next season we might run him in the two-mile-and-six-furlong Queen Alexandra [at Royal Ascot].”

Christmas Hurdle target for Knight Salute

As for last season’s Aintree hero Knight Salute, the first stop this autumn will be Cheltenham en route to a potential shot at the Grade One Christmas Hurdle at Kempton.

“He’s back in,” Harris said. “He had a little problem with a tooth during his summer break. Ironically, he was the hardiest horse we trained for a long time: Seven races, three Grade Twos and a Grade One and then we got him back in and he had a tooth that cracked.

“He’s in good shape. The plan is, all being well, to go to the first Cheltenham meeting in October for four-year-olds only.

“It will be a suck it and see kind of season because as we all know those juveniles struggle in their second season.

“If Cheltenham goes well we’ll go to the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton. He probably won’t be as busy this season but if Kempton goes well then we may see him back at Cheltenham in March. If not, we might be going down the Elite Hurdle route.”