Shouldhavebeenaring leaves it late for big sales prize

Hannon winner looks to have a bright future.

Shouldhavebeenaring justified some lumpy bets when getting up late to win the GBP 250,000 Goffs UK Harry Beeby Premier Yearling Stakes at York.

A winner at Ripon on his second start, he was backed into 5-2 favouritism despite a field of 19 heading to post.

Very few of them got into it, in truth, as Tim Easterby’s Northcliff made a bold bit off the front end, battling the challenges of Dare To Hope and Washington Heights entering the final furlong.

Washington Heights eventually wore down Northcliff but Sean Levey got a great tune out of Richard Hannon’s Havana Grey colt and got there just in time to win by a neck.

It was a fifth win in the race for Hannon since 2016 and a fourth for Levey.

Hannon said: “He pulled a muscle behind and had sore shins and it was a real struggle to get him here.

“In his last couple of bits of work I put him right in at the deep end and he worked with Classic and Persian Force. He came up there upsides them, which I didn’t expect.

“He’s not in the Middle Park, I haven’t put him in anything but he’s a black-type horse, for sure.

“It’s good for Middleham Park (owners) as they’ve been great supporters of ours over the years and that is what these races are about.”

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